postnoon e-paper for 21 december 2012
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The official e-paper of Postnoon - Hyderabad's first afternoon newspaperTRANSCRIPT
HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012 HYDERABAD WWW.POSTNOON.COM WEATHER: MOSTLY CLEAR; 22°C 32 PAGES `3
city eventsFRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES
Bulls art exhibitionA group exhibition by Avijit Roy, HRDas, Laxman Aelay, Nagesh Goudand Sreekanth Kurva on the animalbull and its characteristics. The pre-view is on December 22 from 6pm.Where: Aalankritha Art GalleryWhen: Up to Januray 2
11am to 7pmContact: www.alankritha.in
Inertia Photography Photography exhibition on India byLona Lohan till December 31.Where: Rajiv Gandhi Airport,
ShamshabadWhen: Up to December 31
11am to 7pmContact: (040) 6625 0000
Art exhibitionArtist M Narayan’s work is on display.Narayan graduated from the KenSchool of Art. He has participated inover 30 solo exhibitions and isknown for his rural depictions. Where: Shrishti Art Gallery,
Road no. 15, Jubilee Hills When: Up to January 2Contact: (040) 2354 0023
Musical nightA night of ghazals by singerHariharan.Where: Chowmahalla Palace,
Khilwath Road Moti Gali, Charminar
When: December 237pm onwards
Contact: 93965 55888
A-Bong LiveA-Bong is a group of music enthusi-ast Bengalis from Hyderabad.Where: La Makaan,
Lane Adjacent To C-Bay ,Banjara Hills.
When: January 65pm onwards
Contact: 93965 55888
AlexanderJaya Prakash Reddy is performing a100 minute solo. He plays a retiredarmy officer who wants to help people with their problems by starting a helpline. It is scripted bywriter Pusala. Where: Ravindra Bharathi,
Public Gardens,Nampally,H-01, Abids
When: January 6,7pm to 9pm
Contact: (040) 2324 9045
Christmas carolsChristmas carols will be sung byGlobal Edge school till the end ofDecember at The Lobby. Where: Novotel & HICC Complex,
PO Bag No 1101, Cyberabad Post Office, Near Hitec City
When: December 3-31Contact: (040) 6682 4422
Christmas Eve buffetTraditional turkey buffet and unlimit-ed beverages will be served atDeccan Pavilion. There will also belive entertainment. Where: Deccan Pavilion,
BegumpetWhen: December 24 Contact: (040) 2340 0132
Christmas brunchThere is a Christmas Day TurkeyBrunch at Marriott Hotel andConvention Center. European-inspired Ginger Bread House startedfrom December 15. Where: Okra,
Hyderabad Marriott Hoteland Convention Center
When: December 25,12.30pm to 4pm
Chai-Pakora RunTo spread the word about India BikeWeek being held in Goa on 2-3February 2013, a chai-pakora run willbe organised in Hyderabad.
Where: Secunderabad Parade Ground, War Memorial on Lamba Theatre Road Opp. cricket ground.
When: December 236am onwards
Contact: indiabikeweek.in/calendar
Photo competitionAlliance Francaise, Hyderabad, isconducting a photo competition. Thetheme is Professions of the world.The winning entries will be sent toParis.Where: http://hyderabad.afindia.orgWhen: December 3 to January 6
Pochampally IKAT melaPochampally Handloom Park isorganising IKAT Mela, exhibitinghandloom products like hand madebed & home linen, dress materials,home textiles, stoles , scarves, sarees,and dupatta. among others. Where: The National Small
Industries Corporation (NSIC) Exhibition Center Radhika Theater Road, Kamalanagar, Kushaiguda
When: December 21 to 31from 10am to 9:30pm
Contact: 95429 76567
Christmas hampersTaj Krishna is giving out Luxury SantaHampers and Deluxe Santa Hampers,which include Remy Martin Xo,Lagavulin 16, luxury Canali tie, Rosepetal jam with cane sugar, KalmataOlives, assorted Christmas chocolateand plum cakes to name a few. Where: Taj Krishna When: OngoingContact: (040) 6666 2323
SHOWS
GAS BOOKING IVRS NO HP 9666023456Indane 9848824365
BSNL Complaints 198HMWS & SB Complaints 155313
POLICE CONTROL ROOMHyderabad 27852435Traffic Control Room 27852482DCP Traffic 23234065, 23243499FPollution Control Board 23887500
ELECTRICITYGeneral Complaints 155333Breakdown Section 23431178
23431179
MUNICIPAL CORPORATION
Commissioner & Spl Officer 2326226624166666R
ENC 23225267Engineering 23220418MCH Tankbund 23225397Emergency MCH Circle I&II 24525842MCH Circle III 24736912MCH Circle IV 23326975MCH Circle V 23326976MCH Circle VI MCH Complaints 1100Head Office 23225397
IVRS CUM MANUAL ENQUIRYPHONE NUMBERS(TRAIN & RESERVATION)RAILWAYSRail Nilayam 27833169, 27824216Railway Information 131Reservations 135Recorded Information 1345Enquiry (IVRS) 1331, 1332, 1333
WATER SUPPLYComplaint Cell 155313Sewerage Complaint 23307328Hyd. Water Supply 23313163
HOSPITALGeneral Hospital, Sec-bad 27505566Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills 23314095NIMS, Director, Punjagutta 23390933Osmania General Hospital 24600146Railway Hospital, Lalaguda 27001134Apollo, Jubilee Hills 23607777Care Hospital, Banjara Hills 30418888Care Hospital, Nampally 30417777Care Hospital, Musheerabad 30419000Care Hospital, Sec-bad 30416666Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar 39879999
BLOOD BANKSBlood Bank,Narayanguda 27567892Chiranjeevi Blood Bank 23559555Blood Bank Mediton Goal 23226624Red Cross, Vidyanagar 27633087ADRM Blood Bank 27035588Mythri Charitable Trust 27550238NTR Memorial Trust 30799999Care Banjara Hills 30418296
30417445
AMBULANCESApollo 23548888, 23607777Kamineni 24022222Medwin 23202902, 23204616Smile Line Dental Hospital 23747979Red Cross 27627973Niloufer Hospital 23314095Gandhi 23320332
AIRLINES
Airport Director 27903785, 27906001For Air India Flight Information Toll free(from any network) for IC Flights
18001801407And for All Flights: 1800227722Air India has revised its flight timings.For more information call (Toll free)18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from otherlines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in
TOURISM OFFICESAP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54Sec-bad 27893100Dept of Tourism 23453110India Tourism 23261360AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999
UK VISA OFFICEVFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A,Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7
Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills-34. Working hours are from 8 AM to1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM.
MUSEUMSSalar Jung Museum 24523211AP State Museum 232431300/7641Nizams Museum 24521029
Helpline
Readers’ viewsWe invite you to write to
us comments, suggestions,viewpoint or just about
anything [email protected]
or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa,
Road No 62, Jubilee Hills,Hyderabad – 500 033
or even by way ofa call on 4067 2222
MEMORIES OF ANOTHER DAYMemories Of Another Day is an exhibition of paintings by artist Konda
Srinivas. He works with acrylic and oils on canvas, specialising in semi- abstract landscapes. His work will be on display at Iconart, Banjara
Hills, till December 25, from 7.30am.
BangaloreMax 28Min 15
Mix of sun andcloud.
ChennaiMax 30Min 24
Mix of sun andcloud.
MumbaiMax 32Min 22
Sunny, clear skies.
New DelhiMax 21Min 7
Sunny, clear skies.
22°CA mix of cloudy and
clear skies.
16°CA mix of cloudy and
clear skies.
22°CA mix of cloud
and sun.
30°CA mix of cloud
and sun.
Weather for HyderabadEvening Overnight Morning Afternoon
PLAY TIME: A child plays with a scooter-cycle at Shilparamam park. SRINIVAS SETTY
SHOWS
DINING MISCELLANEOUS
HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012 HYDERABAD WWW.POSTNOON.COM WEATHER: MOSTLY CLEAR; 22°C 32 PAGES `3
‘RAYALASEEMAWON’T SITSILENT IF T ISGRANTED’TG Venkatesh, Congress leader and ministerfrom Rayalaseema, said he would lead anagitation for a separate Rayalaseema state ifstatehood is granted to Telangana.
REPORT ON P2
CITYVIEW
While last year was one full of rioting and strikes, this year some other important issues took the fore. We take a look atsome of the things that affected the City in the past 11 months.
P14&15
Websites that endwith .com areso 2000 as companies havestarted bidding onnew Internetdomain namesthat end with.shop, .hotel or.news. ICANN,which oversees theInternet’s address-ing system, is lead-ing the expansion.
THE NEXT WEB
P11
COUNTDOWN BEGINSFOR KALMADI A CBI court has ordered framing ofcharges by January 10 againstsacked CWG chief Suresh Kalmadiand others in the CWG scam. Hefaces cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy charges underthe anti-graft law.
MARADONA TOP IRAQCANDIDATE An Argen tine football official saysDiego Maradona is a leading can-didate to take over as coach ofIraq’s national team. The Iraq foot-ball association will meet todayand complete an offer to Mara -dona, say reports.
FLASHGUV SNUBS KIRANChief Minister KiranKumar Reddy today suffereda setback when GovernorESL Narasimhan returnedR&B minister DharmanaPrasada Rao’s file. TheCabinet had disapprovedprosecution of the ministerby the CBI in the Vanpic pro-ject case. The Governor hassuggested going for morelegal advice.
P9
P29
The column that teaches everyonesomething new about the way theCity functions.
1 Use the country’s resourceswisely!
The GHMC has failed to utilisecrores of rupees allotted to it bythe central government almost sixyears back. It is now resorting todesperate last minute measures.
2 A word of caution beforeyou donate.
Two men have been arrested bythe Kalapathar police for collectingmoney from the public in thename of charity and social service.Make sure your money goes intothe right hands.
3 Take advantage of onlinecourses!
The University of Hyderabad isplanning to offer many onlinecourses soon.
4Indian police gets older andwiser?
The AP police celebrated the150th anniversary of the IndianPolice. We will hopefully see lowercrime rates in the years to come.
5Love historical places? Headto Warangal!
A three-day festival will be held atthe three historic symbols of theKakatiya dynasty.
city FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012 2
‘Punish errant cops’Last year Postnoon reported on the
incidents of policemen beinginvolved in crimes in the City. Citypolice commissioner AK Kahn saiderrant cops should be punishedseverely. Various cases had surfacedlast year, including a constable misbe-having with a woman, another hang-ing himself after shooting a womanconstable and an SI accepting bribes.
DECEMBER 21, 2012
Power tariff hike bycoming AprilThe latest power tariff hike pro-
posed by DISCOM will come intoeffect by April 2013. Domestic con-sumer sector will see hike of 16 percent and industrial sector by 15 percent. Agricultural sector will contin-ue to get power at current tariffrates. The hike is expected to fetcharound `6,000 crore and reduce the`23,000 crore debt on DISCOMs.
Helmet, seat belt rulesto be strictThe traffic police have decided to
strictly enforce seat belt and hel-met rules from this new year.Contact and non-contact mecha-nism for booking violators will beintroduced. The non-contact initia-tives such as use of surveillancecameras and speed guns will beinstalled in more places to regulatethe traffic.
Fake foreign liquorseizedSleuths of excise department
seized fake foreign liquor inBanjara Hills this morning. Thesleuths have also arrested threepeople involved with the crime.According to the officials, the costof the liquor in open market is `20lakh. The investigation is on in thecase to find out more details relatedto these fake liquors.
Building momentum forTelugu conferenceAcycle rally, Telugu Vijay Yatra,
was flagged off by AP officiallanguage commission chiarman MBhuddha Prasad this morning atSanjeevaiah park. The cycle rally isbeing jointly organized by APKnowledge Network and Atlantaorganisation. The cycle rally willreach Tirupathi, the conferencevenue, before December 27.
LAST YEAR... HERE POLITICS
NEWS BRIEFS
800Projects worth `800 crore were
sanctioned by the Centre in 2005-06under JNNURM, but the GHMC has
failed to complete most of these. Thedeadline was this December.
5THINGS WELEARNT TODAY
NUMEROLOGY
In this competitive
world, enrolling to regular courses isgetting highly competitive, so online education is a wonderful alternative.
Ramakrishna R, UoH VCSee page 4
INKESHAF [email protected]
Congress leader andminister fromRayalaseema, TGVenkatesh, said on
Friday he would lead an agita-tion from the front for a separateRayalaseema state if his partygives in and grants statehood toTelangana.
The minister hinted that if aseparate Telangana is formed,he would not mind quitting theCongress and would float aRayalaseema front or join YSRC.Venkatesh said a united Andhrawould ensure growth in allregions.
The minister said that grant-ing of Telangana would be afolly, and the Congress will van-ish from the State. “My partyleaders are not fools to allow
such a thing, I am sure, but thereis a chance that the party leader-ship may make a firm commit-ment on T before the generalelections. But I want to sound awarning that a separateTelangana state will prove to bea death warrant for the party inAndhra Pradesh.” Venkateshinsists many Congress leadersfrom Andhra and Rayalaseemaare of similar views.
The ensuing All PartyMeeting of UPA government onthe Telangana issue seems to becreating ripples in the State’sruling Congress party. ManyRayalaseema and Andhra cabi-net ministers will quit the partyif it extends support to a sepa-rate telangana state at the meet.
“To me, as to many leadersfrom Rayalaseema region, opin-ion of people is paramount. Ifthey think I should leave theCongress party and join rivalparties in case of creation of aseparate Telangana state, I willdo so,” he said. “The creation ofa separate state would not be atthe cost of Rayalaseema’s development.”
The State BJP conveyed itsgreetings to Narendra Modi
for his hat-trick win in the elec-tions and celebrated by distribut-ing sweets at the State BJP office,bursting crackers and dancing.
In a press note issued onThursday, State BJP president GKishan Reddy said nations likeBriton and America have beeneagerly awaiting the Gujaratelection results. He said the peo-ple of India wished Modi winsand the people of Gujarat gavehim clear majority, though theCongress tried to malign him. Ofthe seven sitting MPs Congressfielded, five MPs lost. He said theGujarat election has given direc-tion to the 2014 general electionsin the nation and also toChattisghad, MP, Rajasthan 2013assembly elections. NSS
State BJPcheers Modi
CHARITY AND CELEBRATIONS
‘Rayalaseema won’t sitsilent if T is granted’
Congress leader TG Venkatesh from Rayalaseema region says he will notmind quitting Congress if statehood is given to Telangana.
ELECTIONS
‘A separateTelangana state willprove to be a deathwarrant for the partyin Andhra Pradesh.’
On the occasion of the 40th birthday of YSRC chief YS Jagan, there were a series of public services includinga blood donation camp and provision of wheelchairs for physically challenged people at party headquartersin Jubilee Hills and Moti Nagar. His family met him at Chanchalguda jail and wished him. N SHIVA KUMAR
city FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012 3CRIME
CULTURE
Mohd [email protected]
They would look genuine,what with their mien andmanner. Anyone would
take them for two do-goodersdoing charity work, but the duohappened to be part of a bigchain that played on the charita-ble sentiments of god-fearingpeople and collected largeamounts.
The Kalapathar police onMonday called their bluff andarrested two men — an elderlyman and a youngster — whowent around mosques and dis-tributed printed material stat-ing that they were buildingmosques, madrassas for thedeprived and that they alsomarried off poor girls. For allthese, funds are required andthe charitable public is request-ed to contribute. The police saidAbdul Nayeem, 25, and SyedPasha, 70, thus collected largesums as they positioned them-selves at vantage points in thevicinity of mosques duringnamaz. Those coming out usedto dole out money. But thepolice say it was not these twobut another man who took
away the money. It is an organ-ised gang and the kingpin is oneMohd Shukur, who has escapedafter getting news of his pro-tégés being caught.
According to details madeavailable by the police, MohdShukur, 45, is a resident ofVattepally of Old City, whofound that much money could
be made out of the charitablepublic. Poor girls’ marriage, aidto poor children, and buildingof mosques struck a chord withmost religious-minded people,he realised. Accordingly, heorganised several gangs andstationed them at various placesfor fund collection. What’smore, this has been going on formany years and Shukur hasmade a pile, while also helpingthe unemployed get a ‘prof-itable vocation.’
It was some alert devoteesof Basharath Nagar, Kalapathar,who confronted the duo andsearched their bags. They foundfake wedding cards, a receiptbook for chanda (donations) andsuch other materials used totrick the public. On interroga-tion, it was revealed thatShukur gave them `150 a dayand they were collecting `800-`1,000 a day. They are not sureof Shukur’s operations but it issaid he has at least a dozen suchgangs in various places of theCity. This means, at a conserva-tive estimate, the ‘charity’ com-pany’s turnover would be easily`60,000 a day. Inspector Majeedof Kalapathar police station ishopeful of netting Shukur soon.
POSTNOON [email protected]
An agriculturist of Guddurvillage in RR district,Mohd Amjad, was
allegedly murdered by his closefriend K Srisailam, 36, as the lat-ter suspected Amjad, 35, of hav-ing sexual relations with his wifein his absence. Amjad and hiswife had denied this.
The childhood friends wereboth married and have children.Trouble began after Srisailam gotsuspicious that Amjad was hav-ing an affair with his wife whenhe was not at home.
On Tuesday night, Srisailamreportedly spotted Amjad sneak-ing out of his home and he flewinto a rage. Srisailam pinned
Amjad down and hit his headwith a boulder. As people gath-ered on hearing screams andshouting, Srisailam ran to thepolice station and surrendered.He told the police the story ofdeceit his wife and his friendplayed on him. Amjad, with seri-ous injuries, was shifted to a hos-pital, but died later.
However, inspector G Venu -gopal, who is investigating thecase, said Srisailam had borrowed`30,000 from Amjad and he couldnot return it. Amjad is said tohave been ‘recovering the dues’by having sex with Srisailam’swife. During interrogation,Srisailam denied he had takenmoney from Amjad. They wereall just baseless allegations to jus-tify the wrong, he told the police.
INKESHAF [email protected]
The Telangana region isgearing up for the his-toric Kakatiya celebra-tions from today.
Chief Minister N KiranKumar Reddy, along with Uniontourism minister K Chiranjeevi,will inaugurate the three-daygala in Warangal this afternoon.
These celebrations are the firstof their kind in Telangana, beingheld by the State government tomark the completion of 750 yearsof the reign of Queen RudramaDevi, the ruler of Kakatiyadynasty. The three historic sym-bols of the Kakatiya dynasty —Warangal Fort, Thousand PillarTemple and Ramappa Temple —have been adorned with massivelighting systems and decorativeitems by the authorities of theState government.
As part of the programme,the first day of the celebrationswill have cultural performancesby famous artistes. These artistsinclude prominent Mridangamplayer Ella Venkateswara Rao.
Kuchipudi danseuses RadhaRaja Reddy and Kala Krishnawill perform in front of the VIPsand the huge gathering of peoplewho would converge from acrossthe State to witness the celebra-
tions. The first day of the celebra-tions are being held at WarangalFort. On the second day, thevenue of the celebrations will bethe famous Ramappa Temple,which stood witness to manyhistorical developments. Thethird day of the celebrations willbe held at the historic ThousandPillar Temple, which attractstourists from across the country.
Speaking to Postnoon thismorning, minister of IT and com-munications Ponnala Lakshm -aiah, who hails from the same dis-
trict, said that the State govern-ment had made elaboratearrangements for the successfulconduct of the Kakatiya celebra-tions. “We want to leave anindelible mark on the minds ofthe people by successfully con-ducting the celebrations,” he said.
YEAR-LONG PROGRAMMESPLANNEDAfter the conclusion of the three-day celebrations, the State author-ities are planning to hold year-long celebrations in all the areaswhich were ruled by the Kakatiyarulers in the past. The authoritiesare currently in the process of fig-uring out the places and nature ofcultural programmes to be held.According to Lakshmaiah, theyear-long programmes will helpthe people recall the rule ofKakatiyas and bring awarenessamong the citizens.
CRIMEBeware of ‘charity’ gangsCentred around places of worship are gangs that masqueradeas Good Samaritans but are, in fact, only collecting funds for
one Shukur, who made a lucrative business from this fraud.
Kakatiya celebrations kick offThe three-day festival will be held at the three historic symbols of the Kakatiya dynasty,
and will feature performances by famous artistes.
The two arrestedwould go aroundmosques, distributingprinted material stating that they werebuilding mosques and madrassas.
These celebrations arebeing held to mark thecompletion of 750years of the reign ofQueen Rudrama Devi,the ruler of Kakatiyadynasty.
Man kills wife’s ‘lover’Flew into a rage when he saw his close
friend sneaking out of his house.
(Left) The victim, Mohd Amjad; the murder weapon
The Thousand Pillar Temple in Warangal
SRINIVAS SETTY
city FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012 4CIVIC
EDUCATION
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The fear of losingJNNURM (JawaharlalNehru National UrbanRenewal Mission) funds
prompted the mayor and otherofficials to act in desperation. Asa last ditch effort before the yearends, he convened several meet-ings with the officials onThursday.
As part of these hectic efforts,Majid Hussain, along withGHMC officials, inspected theFatehnagar Nallah, wherewidening of the works was takenup on Thursday. According tothe mayor, the nallah was actual-ly 180ft wide, but due to somereasons, was revised to 120ftwide (read encroached). Apartfrom this, the GHMC was alsoconsidering taking up worksrelated to Chemical Nallah.
While interacting with the
locals, he said, “We may lose the aid.”
Projects worth `800 crorewere sanctioned underJNNURM, but GHMC has failedto complete most of these. Mostof these works were sanctionedby the Central government in2005 and 2006.The deadline forcompletion of these projects isDecember this year. According tosome reports, it’s up to theCentre to grant or not to grantmore time. But the kind of hasteseen now points to the possibility
of losing the aid.In July this year, the GHMC
commissioner decided to holdco-ordination meetings to sortout the issue with contractors,but nothing appears to havehelped the GHMC. The issueswith the contractors continue tobe the biggest problem for thecorporation.
A permanent solution forsolving the nallah encroachmentproblem was suggested by theminister for municipal adminis-tration and urban developmentM Maheedhar Reddy severalmonths ago. But as the rainy sea-son gave way to winter, the issueof nallahs was again put on theback burner.
Now, with the fear of losingfunds provided by the Centre,the GHMC is making franticefforts. But many officials believethat rehabilitation of the peoplewill be the biggest hurdle in theprocess.
ANUBHA K [email protected]
The internet has revolutionised edu-cation. With numerous universi-ties and organisations offering free
online courses, online learning hasbecome popular among teenagers, colle-gians and working professionals.
Now, the University of Hyderabad isalso set to join the online education race.It will be the first central university inHyderabad to offer online courses.“School of Education will be our new,important project. We are working on
the idea and very soon, we will finalisethe subjects. Online education is fastbecoming a major preferred mode ofeducation among students. In this com-petitive world, enrolling to regularcourses is increasingly getting highlycompetitive in India, so online educa-tion is a wonderful alternative and I amsure several students will opt for this,”said University vice-chancellorRamakrishna Ramaswamy.
“Thanks to Coursera (an onlinelearning site), many are now awareabout online education and it’s nowcatching up in India too. The mainadvantage of taking an online educationcourse is students will not have to makeany alteration in their daily routine. Infact, an additional degree might add anextra zing to their resume and be helpfulfor students in improving in their careerprospects. One more advantage of theSchool of Education will be that stu-dents can attend the classes and learnthe course by sitting in the comfort oftheir home. Students will not have totravel anywhere to get the degree,” headded.
Though online education is yet to pick up in India as compared to other countries, the University ofHyderabad is sure that the idea will be ahit in the City.
Scrambling to retain fundsOn Thursday, Mayor Mohd Majid Hussain and GHMC commissioner Krishna Babu went into
panic mode with the hope of retaining massive JNNURM funds.
Projects worth `800crore were sanctionedunder JNNURM, butGHMC has failed tocomplete most ofthese. The deadline forcompletion isDecember this year.
UoH to go onlineThe university plans to offer online courses soon,
and is certain that many will opt for them.
FILE PHOTO
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INTERIOR
HEALTH /CLINIC
It is sad that our democracy hasdegenerated to ‘vote catching’exercise while it ignores thehuman values and nation’s
interests. Recently a group of well-meaning senior citizens of variouscommunities from the Old Citywent to the police commissioner’soffice and submitted a petition thatthey were facing a tumultuous situ-ation due to mischief played by cer-tain vested interests in both theMuslim and the Hindu communi-ties. The citizens pointed out howthe MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisiand the VHP leader Pravin Togadia
had been polluting the minds of thetwo communities. Owaisi has chal-lenged the government to comewithout the police and the para-phernalia and face the Muslim com-munity. The issue was the templerenovation at Charminar. Soon afterTogadia came and roared aboutMuslim aggression and threatenedto turn Hyderabad into an Ayodhyaif devotees are prevented fromoffering puja in the temple.
The petitioners said that it wasnot the leaders but the commonman who suffered when the Citywas troubled. Livelihoods of push-cart vendors, daily wagers, autorik-shaw drivers and small shop own-ers suffered losses. The ill, the elder-
ly and children too undergo traumawhen curfew is imposed. Theywanted the commissioner to bookboth the leaders for instigating thepublic. Well said, seniors, reporter isone with them. (MS)
TOM-TOM OFFICIAL OF GHMCThe GHMC is a unique mix of addi-tional commissioners. They come inall shapes and sizes and colours —from the most influential to theboastful and from sheepish to bois-terous. But among them is onewhom the media dreads. He talksall about his past services in themost glorious terms. Newsmennew to the set up fall prey to his selfpromotion. And, you can spot thevictim easily. He will have a dazedlook, someone caught in a whirl-wind and later cast away. He willhave a lot about the official’s bioda-ta, his dashing adventures, his boy-hood days, his chivalry. Well,
reporter believes that he is god’screation to remind us that life is notall a bed of roses. (MN)
SARANAM AYYAPPA!When the whole governmentalmachinery and judiciary failed him,he turned to God, and He helpedhim! This is what former exciseminister Mopidevi Venkataramanamust be thinking now. Mopidevi,one of the first to be lodged in thecentral jail in the Vanpic deal casehas not been granted bail since hisarrest in May this year.
But now the CBI Court hasgranted his prayer for a 10-dayinterim bail to enable him to under-take a pilgrimage to Sabarimala.Mopidevi is a devotee of LordAyyappa and he treks the hillshrineevery year during the pilgrimageseason. The former minister hasbeen observing the vrat in jail andnow he is off to the Lord’s hill. And,
there is no guessing for what hiswish would be: Lord, may I be par-doned, I will do any penance.
DON’T DO THIS TO US, PLEASEOn Tuesday afternoon those onurgent business got stuck at Nagolecrossing where the road was takenover by the Vasthunna Meekosam ofTDP activists and no policemenwere seen anywhere. The trafficcame to a standstill and suffered.These days the sufferance is moresince all vehicles keep their machineon for the airconditioner. Hence pol-lution increases. It’s high time politi-cal parties behaved responsibly.What’s preventing prot esters frommoving in a file so that traffic willnot be disrupted? (SS)
HYDRINGLISH!Hi-tech city, but low-tech English,that is Hyderabad. Look at the pic-ture where the GHMC board (pic-tured) miserably tries to conveysomething to public and ended upin knots! It’s “CharminarPederation Project Works” and, it’s“inauguration of Street escaping ofold city roads.” Well, if anyonecould decipher this for us, wewould be grateful. The reporterhopes this has not caught the cam-era of foreign visitors who will havea hearty laugh at our cost! (MS)Tail Piece: Heard in Gandhi Bhavanabout the Congress convention onSunday, “It was a brain-damaging,not brainstorming session. I have ahearing problem after listening tothe high-pitched sound pollutionfor three hours.”
(Contributed by Mohd Subhan,Inkeshaf Ahmed, Srinivas Setty and
Md Nizamuddin)
Diabetes is a growing lifestyledisease in India; currently,over 370 million people suffer
from diabetes across the globe. Thenumber of diabetic patients areexpected to increase to almost 80million in 2030 in India with 7 mil-lion new cases registered each year.
Unfortunately, in India diabetesand heart disease often go hand inhand. Diabetic patients who sufferfrom MI ,coronary-artery bypassgrafting has been the standard ofcare. But minimally invasive proce-dures are being adopted by doctors.
With the introduction of nextgeneration stent in India, diabeticpatients have new hope. TheResolute Integrity is the first stent
approved by the US FDA for diabeticpatients.
Resolute Integrity DES, the inno-vative technology used, combinesthe powerful clinical advantages ofResolute DES with the groundbreak-ing continuous sinusoid technology(CST) that encompasses one continu-ous, single strand of wire, makingeach stent comparable to a flexiblespring.
Dr J Shivkumar, chief of cardiolo-gy, Apollo hospitals, Secunderabad,says, “In my opinion ResoluteIntegrity will be a game changer.Angioplasty in diabetic patients byusing FDA approved integrity stentscan substitute bypass surgery.”
AGENCIES
US FDA approvedstent available in City
POSTNOON NEWS
Apollo Hospitals,Hyderabad performedthe first coronary angio-
plasty in India, using Absorb–BVS, on Thursday. The surgerywas performed by Dr PC Rath,senior interventional cardiolo-gist, Apollo Hospitals.
Absorb-BVS is a revolution-
ary device which is made of dis-solvable material and is a naturalsubstitute for the metallic stent,currently used to prop open theartery at the site of blockage afteran angioplasty. Unlike a metallicstent which remains in the bodyfor lifetime, Absorb-BVS dis-solves. The metallic stent being aforeign body sometimes createsside effects. To suppress theseside effects the patient has to beon drugs lifelong.
Dr Rath and his teamimplanted Absorb-BVS on a 35-year-old male patient, who suf-fered a massive cardiac arrest 10days ago. He had a 99 per centblock in one of the main arteries.The patient is recovering welland will be discharged in a cou-ple of days.
REPORTERS’ DIARY
HEALTH HEALTH
Lose the trouble mongers
Revolutionary
On Tuesday those onurgent business gotstuck at Nagole cross-ing where the road wastaken over by theVasthunna Meekosamof TDP activists.
city FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012 6CELEBRATIONS
N SHIVA KUMAR
Andhra Pradesh Police celebratedthe 150th anniversary of the
Indian Police (1861-2011) at agrand event on Thursday at the
Parade Grounds in Secunderabad. ChiefMinister N Kiran Kumar Reddy was the
chief guest at the event and home ministerP Sabita Indra Reddy was guest of honour.Director general of police V Dinesh Reddy
and other senior officers participated in theevent. The CM inaugurated the nine-
month long induction training ofstipendary constables on the occasion.
Police commandos put up some daredevilacts and a wide array of skills of the police
personnel were on display during theevent. Khukhri dance by the West Bengal
Armed Police and two song and dancesequences by the students of St Francis
College for Women and St Ann's Collegefor Women enthralled the audience.
GUARDIANSCELEBRATE150 YEARS
MIRA [email protected]
By the time CharltonHeston warned politi-cians they’d have to pryhis guns from his cold
dead hands, the National RifleAssociation was one of the mostpowerful lobby groups in theUnited States.
The horrifying slaughter of20 six- and seven-year-oldchildr en and six staff membersat a Ne wport, Connecticut schoollast we ek has presented a seriousch a llenge to the NRA’s domina-tion of the gun control debate.Af ter years of insisting that“guns don’t kill people, peopleki ll people," the previously unc o -m promising group plans tooffer “meaningful contributionsto he lp make sure this neverhappens again” at a press confer-ence Friday.
Yet that is unlikely to be a shi -ft from the NRA’s core philoso-phy that people have a God-giv -en right to defend themselves a -nd that any attempt at serious g -u n control is a violation of the
Co nstitution’s Second Amen dm -ent. The NRA has long arguedthat giving law-abiding citizensguns helps to deter crime andthat laws will never stop crimi-nals or crazy people from gettingor using deadly weapons.
NRA newscast host GinnySimone on Tuesday character-ized efforts to renew a ban onassault weapons in the wake ofthe shooting as something “weall know was a failed experimentfrom the start."
Meanwhile, a number of pro-gun state lawmakers haverepeated a solution that criticssay is tantamount to giving upon civilized society: armingteachers as the best defenseagainst school shootings.
“THEY CAN SWAY AN ELEC-TION ONE WAY OR ANOTHER” Founded in 1871 to teachAmericans how to use rifles afterthe general poor level of skillwas revealed in the Civil War, theNRA evolved into a popularsportsman’s association that pro-moted gun safety and training.
The NRA was a rather apolit-ical organization until a lobbyingbranch was formed in 1975 inresponse to gun control efforts.
It has become a powerful andfeared force in Washington andin state capitols, as have thegrades and endorsements itgives lawmakers. “They cansway an election one way oranother," Gregg Lee Carter, asociology professor at BryantUniversity and author of “Gunsin American Society," told AFP.
Its success lies not just in thepower of about four millioncard-carrying members and thefinancial backing of the gunindustry, but also in the efficien-cy and reach of its organization.
“If in the state of RhodeIsland in conference room 2Athey’re going to discuss gun con-trol, the NRA has their membersthere," Carter told AFP.
The number of states withpermissive gun laws — whichtypically only prohibit felons,drug addicts, children and thementally ill from carryingconcealed weapons — expandedfrom three to 41 in the
past 30 years.The NRA has also helped
enact controversial “Stand YourGround” laws in 25 states thatgrant immunity from prosecu-tion if people use deadly forcebecause they felt threatened.
Its power is also derivedfrom the romanticization of gunsin American history and culture.
From the AmericanRevolution to the pioneers stak-ing out land on the frontier, gunshave long been associated withthe American ideals of individu-alism and self-reliance.
As the nation became moreurbanized, they also began to beseen as a symbol of a more idyllicrural lifestyle and a rejection ofthe liberalism of cityfolk.
The crime epidemics of the1970s, 80's and 90's helped theNRA expand its reach by attract-ing people who sought guns forself-protection.
“EVEN GUN ENTHUSIASTSARE SAYING THINGS ARE OUTOF CONTROL”The NRA is currently trainingabout 750,000 people a year howto properly handle a gun —many because the courses arerequired in order to get a permit.They are taught that they cannotcount on police for help andmust take personal responsibilityfor the safety of their family.
“From this perspective, theba nning of guns translates to thebanning of the last line of de fe n -se against crime amid what ma -ny gun carriers see as crumblingpublic infrastructure," said Uni -versity of California, Berk eley so -c i ologist Jennifer Dawn Carlson.
“They view the colonial tra-dition as meaning that if they seethe government as becomingtyrannical then by gosh theyhave the right to pick up theirguns and rebel," said RobertSpitzer, author of “The Politics ofGun Control” and a professor atState University of New York atCortland. The NRA needs to soft-en its hardline positions if ithopes to survive, said DouglasKellner, an expert on schoolshootings and domestic terror-ism at the University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles.
“Even gun enthusiasts aresaying things are out of control,"Kellner told AFP. “We have to getthese assault weapons off thestreets and be more careful aboutbackground checks."
Americans spend an estimat-ed $3.5 billion annually on gunsand critics say that appetite islargely fueled by the NRA.
America has suffered an epi-demic of gun violence over thelast three decades, including 62mass shooting sprees since 1982,three of the deadliest in the sec-ond half of this year alone. AFP
focusFRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
7EXPONENTIAL GROWTH OF PERMISSIVE GUN LAWSThe number of states with permissive gun laws — which typically only prohibit felons,drug addicts, children and the mentally ill from carrying concealed weapons — expand-ed from three to 41 in the past 30 years.
US gun lobby in thecrosshairs after
school massacreThe NRA was apolitical until a lobbying branch was
formed in 1975 in response to gun control efforts.
Twenty-seven angel wood cut-outs are set up on hillside in memory to the victims of the elementary school shootingin Newtown, Connecticut. AFP/EMMANUEL DUNAND
BusinessFRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
8S&P CUTS CYPRUS RATING TO CCC+Standard and Poor's slashed Cyprus' credit rating Thursday by twonotches to CCC+, saying the eurozone member was facingincreasing financial pressure, with bailout negotiations stillunfinished.
THUS SPAKE
Facebook on Thursday began testingthe feasibility of charging to guaran-tee that messages from strangersmake it into inboxes of intendedrecipients at the social network.Dabbling with getting people to payto connect with Facebook memberscomes as the social network strives totap the potential to make money fromits membership base of more than abillion people. The FacebookMessages test, limited to the US, lets asender pay a dollar to make sure anelectronic missive is routed to some-one's "inbox" even when the personisn't in their circle of friends.
PAY FOR FB MESSAGES
Deutsche Bank offices have beensearched for the second time in aweek, the German bank said onThursday, adding the latest werelinked to a legal battle with the heirsof late media mogul Leo Kirch.A spokesman for Germany's biggestbank said the raid at its headquartersin the western city of Frankfurt werepart of a probe into alleged falsestatements under oath by formermembers of the board of directors."The bank continues to be convincedthat these accusations are going toprove unfounded," a spokesman said.
RAIDS AT DEUTSCHE BANK
NUMEROLOGY
$400 mnis the credit Russia's
Vnesheconombank will provide toIndonesia to finance purchases of
aircraft and related equipment fromRussia's arms export company.
BANKING
BSE 19,336.60117.32
NSEPOUND `89.55DOLLAR `55.13
SILVER `57,871 for 1kg24CGOLD`30,880 for 10g
5,874.7041.70
JAY CARNEY,WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY
The President will work with Congress toget this done and we are hopeful that wewill be able to find a bipartisan solutionquickly that protects the middle classand our economy,
SAN FRANCISCO: Google'sonline Play shop of applica-tions for Android-poweredsmartphones or tablets isgrowing fast, a reportreleased Thursday by markettracker Distimo said.
The aggregate daily rev-enue at Google Play shopsacross the 20 largest countrieswhere they are availableclimbed 43 percent during thepast four months, while sales
at Apple's online App Storeincreased 21 percent.
"Google Play is just start-ing to rival the Apple AppStore in a few countries on aworldwide scale, eventhough it is still losing interms of daily revenues,"Distimo said in the report.
Daily revenue at GooglePlay was just shy of $3.5 mil-lion, according to Distimo.
AFP
NEW YORK: BlackBerry makerResearch in Motion on Thursdayreported a small profit after threeconsecutive quarterly losses,offering some optimism for thestruggling smartphone maker.
The Canadian based firmposted a net profit was $9 millionin the fiscal third quarter endingDecember 1 despite the loss ofone million subscribers.
That profit compared with aloss of $235 million in the secondquarter and a gain a year ago of$265 million.
RIM said a more accurate pic-ture comes after adjustments tothe net figure to reflect varioustax and restructuring costs,which results in an adjusted lossof $114 million.
AFP
KYC norms easedNUPUR PAVAN BANG AND PURVEEHETAMSARIA
“The KYC (Know YourC u s t o m e r )Guidelines were for-
mulated to protect the financialsystem against threat ofmoney laundering/ter-ror financing andfrauds”, said ProfNicky, when she wasasked about their pur-pose by one of the newfirst year student.
Prof. Nicky: But whydo you ask?
Student: I have beentrying to open a savingsbank account in a bankwhich has a branchjust outside my home.The executive wanteda host of documentswhich I provided tohim. But he is askingfor separateidentificationand addressproofs. I gavehim my pass-port whichalso has myaddress. Buthe says that
he needs an electricity bill or abank statement as an addressproof. Now where do I get thatfrom? There is no separate elec-tricity bill for me. It's on myfather's name. Also, I want abank account because I don'thave one.
Prof. Nicky: Oh! In thatcase you need not worry
any more. Just a cou-ple of days back,the Reserve Bankof India, the regu-lator for all banks in
India, revised theguidelines for KYC. To
ease the burden in comply-ing with the KYC
requirements foropening new
accounts, RBI has now notifiedthat if the address on the docu-ment submitted for identityproof is same as that declared inthe account opening form, thedocument may be accepted as avalid proof of both identity andaddress.
Student: Ah... thatsolves at least part of
my problems.Prof. Nicky:
You must keep inmind though, thatthis happens only if
you give the sameaddress in the form as
mentioned in theproof that you have
provided.Student: Ok.
That is what Ihave done.Though I haveanother prob-lem.
P r o f .N i c k y :A n dthat is?
Student: The executive hasalso asked me for an introduction from an existingcustomer. My parents haveaccounts in a different bank. I donot know of anyone who has anaccount with this bank. Whatam I to do?
Prof. Nicky: You are in lucklady! Seems like RBI has beentaking note of your prayers! RBIhas notified that introduction isnot necessary any more underthe KYC guidelines.
So the bank should not insiston introduction for opening anaccount. So call back the execu-tive and ask him to update him-self with the newest changesand then open your account.
Student: I must thank RBIfor these changes. This problemwas being faced by a few of myother friends too. I must go andinform them too about thesedevelopments. Thank you, asusual!
BlackBerry maker RIMmanages $9 mn profit
Google Play growing fast
RBI has notified thatintroduction is notnecessary any moreunder the KYC guidelines.
After complaints piled up over the hassles of Know Your Customer norms, theReserve Bank of India has issued clarifications — a much-needed relief.
TECHNOLOGY
nationFRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
9TWO HELD IN MATA MATHA FIRING A week after a businessman was killed and his father critically injured atMata Matha, two persons have been arrested. The police claimed that themotive behind the incident was robbery.
DELHI BUS RAPE
POLITICAL DRAMA
REMEMBERING SHANKAR
Olivia Harrison, widow of the late ex-Beatle George Harrison, looks sky-ward following her words to those in attendance for the Ravi ShankarMemorial at the Self Realization Fellowship grounds in Encinitas,California on Thursday. At a memorial service near his southernCalifornia home in Encinitas, his wife Sukanya and daughters Anushkaand Norah Jones were joined by hundreds of people as well as othermusic greats like Zubin Mehta. AFP/FREDERIC J BROWN
PICK YOUR
@
Stores Across Twin Cities
Digvijay granted bail in Gadkari defamation case
NEW DELHI: Congress leaderDigvijay Singh was today grantedbail by a Delhi court in connectionwith a criminal defamation casefiled against him by BJP presidentNitin Gadkari. Singh appearedbefore Metropolitan MagistrateSudesh Kumar in pursuance to the
summons issued against him by thecourt on November 17 and the judgegranted bail to him on a personalbond of`50,000 and a surety of thelike amount.
Outside the court, Singh toldreporters that he will now prove allhis charges against Gadkari.
“Now I can say everything infront of the court the way Gadkarihas worked as a businessman andhow he has links with various otherbusinessmen, which all companiesof his were fake and how he earnedprofits,” he said.
The court after finding “primafacie” evidence against Singh haddirected him to appear before it toface trial. PTI
CRIME
CWG SCAM
Four officialskidnapped IMPHAL: Four officials, includ-ing a section officer of theManipur electricity department,have been kidnapped by sus-pected Kuki militants for a ran-som of `5 lakh in Chandel dis-trict bordering Myanmar.
Reports from the district saidthe gunmen barged into theoffice of the state electricitydepartment at Tengnoupal hillarea on Wednesday and kid-napped the section officer andhis subordinate staff members.
The abductors also tookaway Singh’s official vehicle.
The kidnappers rang upmembers of the staff anddemanded a ransom of `5 lakhfor the safe release of the offi-cials. PTI
Court orderschargesagainstKalmadiNEW DELHI: A Delhi courttoday ordered framing ofcharges against sacked CWGorganising committee ChairmanSuresh Kalmadi and others foroffences of forgery, cheating andconspiracy in a Games-relatedgraft case. Special CBI JudgeTalwant Singh passed the orderon framing of charges againstKalmadi, former OC secretary-general Lalit Bhanot and nineothers for illegally awarding acontract to a Swiss firm.
The court said “prima facie”charges of cheating, forgery,criminal conspiracy and foroffences under the provisions ofthe Prevention of Corruption Actare made out against eightaccused persons and three firms.
The accused have beencharge sheeted by the CBI for“illegally” awarding a contract toinstall Timing, Scoring andResults system for the 2010 CWGto Swiss Timing at an inflatedrates causing a loss of over `90crore to the public exchequer.
The other accused are: OC’sVK Verma, Surjit Lal, ASVPrasad and M Jayachandran.Promoters of two constructionfirms — PD Arya and AK Madanof Faridabad-based GemInternational and AK Reddy ofHyderabad-based AKRConstructions are also accused inthe case. PTI
Fifth accusedarrested from UPWith this, four persons have been arrest-ed in connection to the incident whichsparked a nation-wide outrage.NEW DELHI: The fifth accusedin the brutal gang-rape of ayoung paramedical student herewas arrested from UttarPradesh, police said today.
“The fifth accused has beenarrested in the rape case. His ageis being verified before givingdetails. If minor, we have tohold back his particulars as perlaw,” Delhi PoliceCommissioner Neeraj Kumarsaid on Twitter.
With this, four persons havebeen arrested in the Sundaynight incident which sparkedwidespread outrage across thecountry.
Sources said the fifthaccused was arrested fromBadaun in Uttar Pradesh even asthere were reports that the sixthaccused has been picked fromBareilly. However, police is yetto confirm it.
Yesterday, one of the fouraccused in the case was “identi-fied” by the victim’s friend dur-ing a Test Identification Parade(TIP) at Tihar Jail here.
The 23-year-old victim’smale friend, an engineer in asoftware company, identifiedMukesh during TIP, a seniorpolice official said.
Out of the four accused, only
Mukesh had agreed to TIP whenhe was produced before a courthere yesterday. Other accused —Ram Singh, Pawan and Vinay —had refused to undergo TIP.
According to the official, thepositive identification ofMukesh by the friend, who wasalso beaten up by the gangbefore the men allegedly rapedthe girl, is a shot in the arm ofthe prosecution as it would helpthem nail the rest.
Investigators had earlierpressed charges against themunder sections 365 (kidnappingor abducting), 376 (2)(g) (gangrape), 377 (unnatural offences),394 (hurting in committing rob-bery) and 34 (common inten-tion) of IPC. PTI
The accused facecharges under sec-tions 365 (kidnappingor abducting), 376(2)(g) (gang rape), 377(unnatural offences),394 (hurting in com-mitting robbery) and34 (common inten-tion) of IPC.
WorldFRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
10PETER MADOFF SENTENCED TO 10 YEARSPeter Madoff, brother of shamed US financier Bernard Madoff, was sentenced Thursdayto 10 years in prison for cooking the books at the family investment firm. Peter Madoff,67, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud during his role as bookkeeper for Bernard’s once widely heralded but in fact fraudulent Wall Street firm.
INTERVENTION APPROVEDThe UN Security Council onThursday unanimously approvedsending an African-led military forceto help reconquer northern Malifrom Islamist militants. A SecurityCouncil resolution gave the force aninitial one-year mandate to use “allnecessary measures” to help Mali’sgovernment take back territory from“terrorist, extremist and armedgroups.” But the 15-member councilsaid military force can only be usedafter political efforts are exhaustedand insisted that military plans willhave to be refined and approvedbefore any offensive starts.
House Speaker John Boehner, thetop Republican in Congress,scrapped a vote Thursday on aback-up plan to avoid the fiscalcliff crisis, acknowledging he did not have sufficient support.“The House did not take up thetax measure today because it did not have sufficient supportfrom our members to pass,”Boehner said in a statementshortly after calling a snap meeting of his Republicans aheadof a floor vote.
GOP DROPS PLAN B
NUMEROLOGY
$22.7 millionBritain has paid out $22.7 million toIraqis who accuse British troops ofillegally detaining and torturing
them following the 2003 invasion,the Ministry of Defence said
Thursday.
In recent days wehave had
moments of worry,uncertainty andpain... because a lead-er like Hugo Chavezcomes along justonce every 200years.
Nicolas MaduroVenezuela vice-prez
Nuclear reactor shut aftersea water infiltrationSTOCKHOLM: A reactor inSweden’s biggest nuclear plant wasstopped Thursday after an infiltra-tion of sea water, the operatorVattenfall and the national nuclearindustry watchdog said. “There is nosafety problem” at Reactor 4 at theRinghals plant near Gothenburg inthe country’s southwest, nuclearauthority inspector Jan Gällsjo said.
Slab of Barrier Reef seafloor breaking offSYDNEY: A huge slab of sea floornear the Great Barrier Reef is in theearly stages of collapse and couldgenerate a tsunami when it finallybreaks off, researchers warnedFriday. Marine geologists fromAustralia’s James Cook Universityhave been using advanced 3D map-ping techniques on the deepestparts of the reef since 2007.
US House approvesdefense spending billWASHINGTON: The US Housepassed a $633 billion defense auth-orisation bill Thursday that includesfresh sanctions against Iran andfunds the war in Afghanistan, whileoffering compromise language onmilitary detention of US citizens. Inaddition to covering standard secu-rity expenses, it also provides a 1.7-per cent pay raise for the military.
More doomsday sectarrests in ChinaBEIJING: China has detainedmore than 100 members of aChristian sect accused of predictingdoomsday, state media said, takingthe total held beyond 1,000 as offi-cials denied cold weather was apoc-alypse-related. More than 90 mem-bers of “Almighty God”, theChristian sect were detained in thecentral province of Henan.
NEWS BRIEFS
MARITIME DISPUTEGirl held forthreateningslaughter
LOS ANGELES: Police inArizona said they arrestedThursday a 16 year-oldfemale student who threat-ened in an online video to“kill everyone” at her highschool then kill herself.
The young woman was astudent of Red Mountainhigh school, in Mesa, a sub-urb of Phoenix, the office ofMaricopa County SheriffJoe Arpaio said in a state-ment. “The threat was post-ed on a YouTube channelowned by a transgendercommunity in Toronto,Canada,” the statementread.
The channel owner con-tacted Toronto police, whotracked the person thatposted the video to the sub-urbs of Phoenix. Canadianpolice then contacted thesheriff’s office lateWednesday, and withinthree hours they were ableto find the suspect’s homein Mesa.
Detectives went to thehome, questioned the teenin the presence of her par-ents, then arrested her“after she admitted to post-ing the threat.”
The YouTube postalludes to the Sandy HookElementary School mas-sacre, but said that she hadplanned her attack “well inadvance” of the shootingthere. AFP
China ships return totroubled waters
The move is a setback to hopes that Beijing might use the pollas a chance for a fresh start after months of bitter wrangling.
TOKYO: Chinese state-ownedships entered the territorialwaters of disputed islandsFriday, Japan’s coastguard said,in the first intrusion since a newgovernment was elected inTokyo.
The move is a setback tohopes in Japan that Beijingmight use the poll as a chancefor a fresh start after months ofbitter wrangling and rhetoricover an issue that neither side isprepared to budge on.
“Three Chinese surveillanceships entered the territorialwaters near Kubajima,” said aJapanese coastguard official,referring to one of the islands inthe Senkaku chain, known asDiaoyu in China.
The coastguard said threeChinese ships were spottednorthwest of Kubajima island at
around 10.20am (0120 GMT).A fisheries patrol ship was
also in contiguous waters 37kilometres (23 miles) west-northwest of Uotsurijimaisland, it said.
China has sent its officialships into the islands’ waters 19times since Tokyo nationalisedthe chain in September, thecoastguard said, with analystssaying Beijing intends to proveit can come and go as it pleases
in the area.The ante was upped last
week when a Chinese planeoverflew the area, in what Japansaid was the first time Beijinghad breached its airspace sinceat least 1958. Tokyo scrambledfighter jets in response.
But the State OceanicAdministration vessels haveremained outside the 12-nauti-cal-mile ring of the archipela-go’s territorial waters sinceSunday’s election, in whichShinzo Abe swept to power.
“Japan and China need toshare the recognition that hav-ing good relations is in thenational interests of both coun-tries,” he said. “China lacks thisrecognition a little bit. I wantthem to think anew aboutmutually beneficial strategicrelations.” AFP
China has sent its offi-cial ships into theislands’ waters 19times since Tokyonationalised thechain in September,the coastguard said.
Keeping in mind the success oftheir Nexus 7 tablet, Google is cur-rently working on cheaper versionsof the tablet that’ll cost as low as$99. Tablets are currently availableat that price in India, but most ofthem are manufactured by smallercompanies and there is no guaran-tee of their quality over time. Witha cheaper Nexus 7, users will beable to get a version of Androidthat has been customised for low-end hardware and that’ll benefiteveryone in the long run. The onlyquestion is when will it launch.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
DRDO, the same folks who makenuclear-capable missiles areworking on an operating systemand it'll be ready in three yearsaccording to latest reports. Theyare working on the new OSbecause of the increasing threatsof cyber attacks world over. Theybelieve that having a proprietaryOS will keep their assets securedagainst malware creators. As ofnow 150 engineers are workingon creating ‘Indian OS’ and it willmost probably work on serversand networking components thatare created domestically. While agood idea in its own right, itneeds to be seen if the govern-ment organisation can pull offthis move.
CHEAPER TABLETS PLEASE
INDI-GENIUS
Facebook is notorious for the wayit handles privacy, but now thewinds of change are blowing.Those who logged into Facebookon Thursday were pleasantly sur-prised to find privacy settings onthe top right. These settings wereearlier buried under settingsoption and a lot of people foundit difficult to figure out how tochange them. The changes aredesigned to give users easieraccess to and awareness of waysthat they can control the privacyof their information on the site. Inshort, this is a move that will gosome way to cutting through theclutter and confusion ofFacebook’s numerous menus andsettings,
Good move FB
Technology 11BEYOND .COM
Websites that endwith .com areso 2000 as compa-nies have started
bidding on new Internetdomain names that end in.shop, .hotel, .news.
The Internet Corporationfor Assigned Names andNumbers (ICANN), whichoversees the Internet’s address-ing system, is leading theexpansion. ICANN refers tothe process as the New genericTop-Level Domain (gTLD)
Program, and its purpose is to“allow for more innovation,choice, and change to a globalInternet presently served byonly twenty-one generic top-level domain names,” accord-ing to a company statement.The fee for each domain appli-cation was $185,000 andICANN received 1,917 applica-tions. The organisation held alottery earlier this week in LosAngeles to determine the orderin which ICANN will evaluatethe applications.
THE NEXT WEBDomain names will soon end with fancy names instead of the good old ‘.com’
Because two or more applicans can’t be granted the same top-level domain name, certain stringsend up being more contentious than others. In these cases, applicants have the option to partnerup with other competing applicants, file a formal objection if rules apply, or let the gTLD go toauction where competitors can bid on the name.
Nearly 40 per cent of all submissions have more than one applicant. The following are thenames with at least 7 applicants each.
MOST COMPETITIVE gTLD NAMES
THE BASICS
WHERE ARE THEAPPLICANTS?
A GLANCEAT THEAPPLICATIONS
In total, 60 different countries around the world submit-ted applications for an Internet domain name extension.The US submitted the msot, with 885 applications, fol-lowed by the Cayman Islands, with 91 applications.
SOCIAL ISSUES
CommentFRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
12HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTSWhen it comes to dealing with disaster, you have to give it to theCongress. Despite getting a black eye from Narendra Modi (actually, forthe third time in a row), the party spin doctors have no qualms in termingtheir performance in Gujarat as a victory.
Awoman I know wasplaced into anarranged marriageseveral years ago.The marriage was a
reasonably good one, she basi-cally liked her husband and hedidn’t drink too much or physi-cally abuse her.
But then he started cheatingon her. She didn’t like it, anddemanded he stop. He agreedto, but soon the cheatingresumed.
This time, when she con-fronted him, he said hewouldn’t stop, and insteadoffered this counter-proposal:
his mistress would move in withthem, and the three of themwould live happily ever after.
This, you may be surprisedto learn, didn’t sit well with hiswife.
So she filed for divorce. He contested.
Here is her current andfuture situation:
The divorce could takeyears, many years, to be granted.
During those years, she willnot date, or even be seen withanother man. He, meanwhile,will be living quite happily withhis mistress. Why the differ-ence? Because she believes (andI think rightly so) that thecourt’s perception of her in aromantic relationship outside ofthe marriage would be vastlydifferent from the court’s per-ception of him in a romanticrelationship outside of the marriage.
During those years, also, shewill have no access to any oftheir marriage’s assets: theirhouse, their money, nothing. So,while he lives comfortably intheir three-bedroom house, witha car and TVs and a nicekitchen, she is sleeping on the couch in a friend’s studioapartment.
During those years, her hus-band will no doubt take the nec-essary steps to hide their assets,so that if the divorce is evergranted, she will receive practi-cally nothing.
In short, her life is complete-ly on hold, with no hope ofromance or marriage, her futurefinancial picture murky at best,and this all because her husbandbroke their original agreement,of engaging in a long-term,monogamous relationship.
In short, she has done noth-ing wrong. Yet, from any rea-sonable perspective, she is beingpunished. For life.
Indians have often boastedto me of their low divorce rate.They cite it as an example of amore stable society, of bettermarriages, even as evidence thatarranged marriages are moresuccessful than love marriages.
I see it differently. I see a lowdivorce rate as evidence that in asociety where women must risklosing everything to divorce anabusive, drunk, or philanderinghusband, many will choose tostick it out and be miserable,
rather than risk financial desti-tution and years of loneliness.
Or, put more simply, I see itas another way for men to dom-inate, subvert and controlwomen.
Yuck.
The Anonymous Alien…AForeigner’s Observations on
Living, Working, Surviving andThriving in India. You can reach
The Anonymous Alien [email protected]
As this piece is being written, there are no signsyet of the impending end of the world, as per
the Mayan Calendar. The sun is shining as usual, accentuating thesplendour of the green of the trees making it golden, and as the day
approaches night, a slight chill has set in, again the usual inDecember. The past couple of weeks, there was a plethora of reports
and stories about the Mayan prediction and how people across theworld are preparing for it. However, there have been no warnings
about a meteor tearing towards our dear earth, bringing with itdeath and decimation, neither have been reported any major natu-
ral catastrophes that could possibly trigger something like what’sshown in the movie 2012. Sites like December212012.com have an
array of survival tips for the cautious and believers and the site issplattered with advertisements of survival kits to see through
the doom. Maybe the guy or guys who made thecalendar got bored and decided to do something else and leftit at December 21, 2012. Or maybe, like some Mayans who live inthe city of Merida, Mexico think, the doomsday date is in truththe last day of an era and from then starts a new one. “It’s an era.We are lucky to see how it ends,” says wood carver SantosEsteban in Yaxuna, a sleepy village of fewer than 700 Mayans,located in a territory that once belonged to the ancient kingdomfounded around 2000 BC, while speaking to CNN. He, as well asmany living there, are not afraid the world’s gonna end. Thefunny thing is the hullaballoo, the fear, the dread, the poignancyof everything coming to an end have impinged everyone but theMayans. So if it’s a new era, let’s hope that the world becomes abetter place to live in. Else it’s better it’s doomsday.
EDITORIALS
READERS’ VIEWSWe invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to [email protected] or#1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222. Editor: Dean Williams
The only meansof strengthen-
ing one’s intellect isto make up one’smind about nothing,to let the mind bea thoroughfarefor all thoughts.
John KeatsEnglish Poet
ANONYMOUS ALIEN
DIVORCE, INDIA-STYLE
Hungry, homeless in US
Hunger and homelessnessare on the rise in the US,and cash-strapped cities
and social services are beingforced to turn needy people
away empty-handed, a studyfound. The number of homeless
people seeking help hadincreased seven per cent from2011, according to a survey of
social service operators in 25 ofthe nation’s large cities.
Even though food pantries andsoup kitchens have cut back
how much people received in anattempt to make their limited
resources go further, the surveyfound that about 19 percent of
the people asking for help didn’t get any.
“In Philadelphia, I see peoplewho are hungry and in need of
shelter on a daily basis,” said thecity’s mayor Michael Nutter.
“Explaining to them thatCongress is cutting funding for
the help they need is not accept-able. What they need are jobs sothey can support their families,and Congress can help to createthose jobs if it passes a fair and
balanced budget with invest-ments in infrastructure, innova-
tion, and real people.”The most striking increase in
homelessness was among fami-lies, and shelters had to turn
away about 17 per cent of peopleseeking a place to sleep due to
lack of space.A lack of affordable housing was
the most common reason forhomelessness among families
with children, followed bypoverty, unemployment, evic-
tion and domestic violence. Thesurvey found that 30 per cent of
homeless adults were severelymentally ill, 18 per cent were
physically disabled, 17 per centwere employed, 16 per cent were
victims of domestic violence, 13per cent were veterans, and four
percent were HIV-positive.AFP
In short, her life iscompletely on hold,with no hope ofromance or marriage,her financial picturemurky at best; she hasdone nothing wrong.Yet, she is being pun-ished... for life.
ALIVE AND KICKING!
1 CRY Cassadee Pope
2 LOCKED OUT OF HEAVENBruno Mars
3 I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE
Taylor Swift4 HO HEY
The Lumineers5 BROKEN WINGSTerry McDermott
6 OVER YOUCassadee Pope
7 BEAUTY AND A BEAT(FEAT. NICKI MINAJ)Justin Bieber
8.DIAMONDSRihanna
9 HOMEPhillip Phillips10 GANGNAM STYLEPsy
1 REDTaylor Swift 2 O.N.I.F.C.Wiz Khalifa
3 MERRY CHRISTMAS,BABY
Rod Stewart4 TAKE ME HOME
One Direction5 CHRISTMASMichael Buble
6 WARRIOR
Ke$ha
7 GIRL ON FIREAlicia Keys8.CHEERS, ITS CHRISTMASBlake Shelton9 THE WORLD FROM THESIDE OF THE MOONPhillip Phillips10 HERE'S TO THE GOODTIMESFlorida Georgia Line
1. JE LE ZARATalaash
2. HOOKAH BARKhiladi 786
3. FEVICOL SEDabanng 2
4 DAGABAAZ REDabanng 2
5. ISHQ WALA LOVEStudent of the Year
6. BALMA
Khiladi 7867. THE DISCO SONG Student of the Year
8. LONELYKhiladi 786
9. MUSKAANEINJHOOTI HAITalaash10. VELEStudent of the Year
iTUNES Top 10 songs Top 10 albums Bollywood Top 10
DID YOU KNOW...
Adelenotched another accolade on
Thursday as iTunes announced thather Grammy-winning album 21 was
the top-selling record of 2012 in its USstore, extending the disc's successful
run almost two years after it wasreleased. 21, released in February
2011, has performed strongly in theUS music charts this year.
Unorthodox Jukebox Bruno Mars, author of 2010's huge-ly successful Doo-Wops &Hooligans, has often been criticisedfor aping his heroes. Listening tohis second album, you can easilysee why this capable, versatile manis so successful; the most famousthing out of Hawaii since BarackObama. In the fraught, loud, ADDworld of pop production, Mars'ssongs value narrative arc and inter-nal logic; his soundscapes havethree dimensions.
The juvenile whowas arrested for
phoning in crank911 calls — claim-ing there was gun
violence at thehomes of Justin
Bieber and AshtonKutcher — is only
12 years old ... TMZhas learned.
Sources connectedto the boy tell... he
lives in Californiawith his mum. He
refuses to go toschool and sits athis computer all
day, communicat-ing with other hack-ers. He is antisocial,preferring the key-board to personal
contact.
Less than 24 hoursafter performingDiamonds duringseason finale ofThe Voice,Rihanna was spotted off thecoast of Barbadostoday. She slippedinto a sexy goldbikini and relaxedunder the sunwith a beer inhand. She's backat home inBarbados ready tospend the holi-days with friendsand family after abusy year of top-ping the charts,touring the globe,and launching anew fragrance.
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
TRENDING...
TALK IT OUT
MusicFRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
13BRITNEY SPEARS TO RENEW ROMANCEBritney Spears and Jason Trawick will reportedly "renew" their relationship during theirChristmas vacation. The pair got engaged over the holidays last year and are yet to set
a date for their wedding. There has been speculation they have been experiencingsome difficulties in their relationship .
MAKINGA POINTMAKINGA POINTMAKINGA POINTMAKINGA POINTMAKINGA POINT
Rap music is generallyassociated with drugs,sex and violence butsocial entrepreneur
Abhaey Singh has used thegenre to highlight the impor-tance of civil debate and hisvideo has become a viral hit.
Abhaey, whose musicalinfluences range from JagjitSingh’s ghazals to Mozart’ssymphonies, and fromEminem’s rap to Guns & Roses’rock, decided to combine “allur-ing entertainment with a mean-ingful, heartfelt message aboutdebate” in a music video toshow the best face of our greatculture and style in the process.
“The creative process startedwith the lyrics, which came tome very quickly, mostly in one
moment of inspiration.Everything else flowed fromthere," he says.
“It (lyrics) was a moment ofinspiration. I think it may havebeen one of those (many) nightswhen I suddenly woke up andstarted writing. However I didsome fine tuning here and thereover time thereafter — but thebasic body was done in onequick sitting," says Abhaeywhose video Talk it out hasreceived more than 1.5 millionviews in one week.
Most of the viewers are fromthe US, followed by Canada andUK according to him. “We arestarting to see some traction inIndia now and it’s beginning tosnowball overall. Just in the last24 hours, for instance, therehave been more than a thousandmore Facebook shares," he adds.
"I am a little old fashioned,
and like organic and Indian andWestern classical music most ofall but overall, I really do likeany great music and am not lim-ited by genre. When I composesongs, I always ensure that atleast one Indian instrument isincluded in my music. Ours is avery special culture and her-itage, and I always hope to beable to present its best facethrough my work, including mymusic. I hope that comes acrossin Talk It Out," he says.
The rap in the video is veryunlike anything you wouldhear, it starts off highlightingthe importance of debate in soci-ety and even touches upon theunparliamentary behaviour ofour politicians.
He made the video to spreadword on Indian DebatingUnion, he is part of. "We have alarge number of new likes on
our Facebook pages and thiswill help us greatly when welaunch the international debat-ing series next year. So yes, it ishelping us gain a broader andbigger audience whom we canshare our debating contentwith," he says.
So does he plan to come upwith more such songs in thefuture?
"This is just the beginning ofwhat I hope will be a meaningfuljourney in socially-focussedentertainment (in addition to thedebating itself). I view the arts asa powerful medium for socialchange, as well as of course pro-viding alluring, captivatingentertainment. It seems peopleare as fond of the entertainmentfactor of Talk It Out as they arethe message and meaning — sothat tells us that we have a goodmodel and can expand on it.
How a rap video that does not mentiondrugs, sex or violence became a viral hit.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
16BOLLYWOOD MAGICIf you love Bollywood music then Spoil pub is the place to be for youtonight. You dance to the latest Bollywood chartbusters belted out by DJManish.
A RIOT OF COLOURSActress Sanjana inaugurated Funival,international carnival organised atHITEX Grounds. The carnival featureshot air balloon ride, games, interna-tional cuisines and juke box.
spotlight
BLING IT ON
YOUTH FIESTAJosephiesta, two-day cultural fest of StJoseph's Degree & PG College endedwith a bang on Thursday. Students putup various performances during theoccasion.
Bismillah ceremony of AlinaFatima Khan, daughter of
Mir Nasir Ali Khan, held atPark Hotel saw a slew of
friends and relatives turningup at the do.
One for the albumFatima, Harshad
Asra, Asif
Ilyas, Shahid
Anisha
Fatima
Samina
Alina Fatima Khan
Saleha, Rana Khan
Meher Fatima Khan, MirNasir Ali Khan
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S BALAKRISHNA
M ANILKUMAR
Tattoos are cool to get andfun to flaunt! More oftenthan not, there’s a storybehind every tattoo.
They say a lot about your ideolo-gy, love, attitude, belief, or sim-ply reflect your likes.
There are a lot of strangethings people can get addictedto, due to various underlyingreasons unique to each person.What seems utterly strange toyou might be something another
person craves for. Anything thatis not done in moderation, whichbecomes an obsession, leads toan addiction. Have you ever seenpeople with so many piercings inevery inch of body visible that itcrosses the line between creativeand grotesque? Postnoon endsthis week on strange addictionsby taking a look at an addictionto tattoos and piercings.
"Teenagers try to imitate theiridols (idol worshiping). Theywant to experiment. DuringMichael Jackson’s time, a lot ofyoungsters dressed like him,”said Dr Minhaj Nasirabadi, con-sultant psychiatrist at ApolloHospital and professor of psychi-atry at Shadan Medical College.
Though this, and motivationby peer groups could be a reasonfor tattoo craze, it’s not the sameas addiction, he said. “Only afew people are prone to addic-tion. They have obsessive per-sonalities or tendencies. Theyfeel uneasy till they get theirbody part pierced. After thatthey go again for more.”
And there are a few who areaddicted to the pain of tattooing.“There are some people withborderline personality disorderwho enjoy pain being inflictedon them. Exces sive tattooing orpiercing is possible in them,”Nasirabadi said
“Fashion addiction is somuch, that even after knowingthe associated problems, peoplestill go ahead,” said KalyanChakravarty, psychiatrist atMediciti hospital, who has treat-ed patients in the age group of25-30, who had three-fourths oftheir body tattooed.
“They are left with the tattoofor the rest of their lives.Suddenly, when they feel awk-ward and want to get rid of it,the problem starts.”
They are first counseled tonot go for further tattooing, and then to accept what hasalready been done. Anti-depressants and anti-anxietymedicines are also given,Chakravarty said.
‘ULTRA-FINE SOUND BEAM CAN WORK LIKE SCALPEL’Focusing high-pressure sound waves to ultra-fine points can work like ascalpel for non-invasive surgery, say University of Michigan engineers,who pioneered the new technology. The ultrasound technology enablesfar more than glimpses into the womb.health
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
17
Researchers found tattoos on mummies thatare thousands of years old. Can this art, which is apart of many cultures and traditions, modern andancient, become an addiction?
ADDICTIONS
EPA AIRNowThe EnvironmentalProtection Agency'sAIRNow is especiallyuseful to those living inlarge cities, where airquality is often poor due
to ozone and fine-particle pollution. TheiPhone and iPad app provides real-timeinformation on air quality, includinglocation-specific forecast reports and airquality maps from AIRNow's website.
Lung cancer Lung cancer is the malignant changeand growth of lung tissue. It causes 1.3million people to die each year, morethan any other cancer. The number ofcases in women has been increasing inthe last few decades, which has beenblamed on the rising ratio of female tomale smokers. However, certain types oflung cancers appear in otherwisehealthy patients who have neversmoked.
Everybody first a cellEvery human spentabout half an hour as asingle cell. All life has tobegin somewhere, andeven the largest humansspent a short part of
their lives as a single celled organismwhen sperm and egg cells first combine.Shortly afterward, the cells begin rapidlydividing and begin forming the compo-nents of a tiny embryo.
Stephen FodorStephen PA "Steve" Fodor is the founderof Affymetrix, a company that producesDNA microarrays to screen gene expres-sion and genetic variations in large por-tions of such genomes as human, rat,and mouse. He was awarded theAssociation of Biomolecular ResourceFacilities Award for outstanding contri-butions to Biomolecular Technologies in2005, and was elected to the NationalAcademy of Engineering in 2009.
NEWS BRIEFSAPP-LY YOURSELF HOUSECALL DID YOU KNOW? PIONEERS
DEEPASHRI [email protected] The body art addict
It’s a one way streetAddicts have a craving for tattoos or piercings. Oncethey get it done, the cravingstarts again and they go backfor more.
Some of the reasons peopleget addicted to tattoos couldbe addiction substitution(substitute one addiction withanother), need for attentionor pain substitution. (NewLook Houston, a tattooremoval and skin care blog)
Once the person wants to getrid of the tattoo, but realiseshe is stuck with it for the restof his or her life, anxiety anddepression set in.
Doctors use a combination ofmedications and counseling totreat patients, addressing theunderlying reason foraddiction.
health FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012 18
TREND
WASHINGTON: Scientistshave developed a synthetic drugthat can reverse fatty liver dis-ease, a serious metabolic condi-tion involving an abnormalbuild-up of fat in the liver, whichdamages the organ.
Fatty liver, which oftenaccompanies obesity and type-2diabetes, frequently leads tomore serious conditions includ-ing cirrhosis and liver cancer,according to a 2003 study report-ed in GUT, the journal of gas-troenterology and hepatology.
The compound known asSR9238 is the first to effectivelysuppress lipid or fat productionin the liver, eliminating inflam-mation and reversing fat accu-mulation in animal models offatty liver disease, the journalChemical Biology reports.
Researchers from the Floridacampus of the Scripps ResearchInstitute (TSRI) found the newcompound also significantlylowered total cholesterol levels.
“We’ve been working on apair of natural proteins calledLXR alpha and LXR beta thatstimulate fat production in theliver, and we thought our com-pound might be able to success-fully suppress this process," saidThomas Burris, professor atTSRI, who led the study, accord-ing to a Scripps statement.
“Once the animals were puton the drug, we were able toreverse the disease," addedBurris.
Burris and his colleaguesdesigned SR9238 so that itwould be quickly metabolised inthe liver to minimise migrationof the drug into the bloodstream.
In the study, mice were fed ahigh-fat diet for 14 weeks priorto treatment with SR9238. Afterone month of treatment, the sci-entists found that the liver’s fat-producing genes were repressedand fat expression in the liverwas reduced up to 90 per cent.
IANS
Syntheticdrug reversesserious liverdamage
BREAKTHROUGH
Not-so drastic changes for 25 days or more can help peopleshed the extra kilos according to researchers.
WASHINGTON: Making smallchanges in our diet over a stretch of25 days or more every month, goes
a long way in helping shed theextra pounds, says a new study.
Led by Brian Wansink, professorat the Cornell University’s Food
and Brand Lab, researcherslaunched the National Mindless
Eating Challenge (NMEC), anonline healthy eating and weightloss programme that focused on
simple eating behaviour changes,instead of dieting.
NMEC participants, afteranswering questions about their
eating goals, background and well-being, were sent three customisedtips to follow for a month. All tips
were founded on research andbased on Wansink’s book Mindless
Eating: Why We Eat More than WeThink (Bantam, 2006).
Participants could download achecklist to track their adherence totips and receive email reminders to
keep them on track. At the end ofeach month, they were expected to
send in a follow-up survey, theJournal of Medical Internet
Research reports.Of the 504 participants
who completed at least onefollow-up survey, more than two-
thirds either lost weight(42 per cent) or maintained theirweight (27 per cent). Weight losswas highest among people who
made changes consistently, accord-ing to a Cornell statement.
Those whose adherence was25 or more days per month reported
an average monthly weight lossof two pounds or roughly one kg,and those who stayed in the pro-
gramme at least three months andcompleted at least two follow-up
surveys lost on average one percentof their initial weight.Common barriers that
prevented people from makingchanges included personally
unsuitable tips, forgetting, beingtoo busy, unusual circumstancessuch as vacations and emotional
eating, according to the study.“These results confirm that
small, consistent changes in ourdaily eating behaviour can result in
gradual weight loss and in develop-ing healthier eating habits," saidWansink, marketing professor at
Cornell’s Dyson School of AppliedEconomics and Management. IANS
STUDY
SMALL CHANGES INDIET HELP SHED EXTRAPOUNDS: STUDY
Solo pop stars more likely to die youngPARIS: Solo rock stars aretwice as likely to die pre-maturely as counterpartswho perform in groups, astudy published in thejournal BMJ Open saidWednesday.
British researchersexamined the fate of 1,489rock and pop performerswho had risen to fame in a
study period that spannedhalf a century, from ElvisPresley in 1956 to theArctic Monkeys in 2006.
A total of 137, or 9.2percent, died prematurely,at 45.2 years of age onaverage for North Ame -rican stars and 39.6 forthose in Europe. Subst -ance abuse and car crash-
es accounted for nearly 40per cent of deaths, accord-ing to the probe. The dif-ference in life expectancywas huge wh en it came tosolo perfo rmers, it found.Among the 114 US soloistsdocumented in the study,23 per cent died at ayounger age than the gen-eral population.
In Europe, too, 9.8 percent of soloists diedyoung, compared to 5.4per cent group perform-ers. Stars who becamefamous before 1980 weremuch likelier to have diedyoung. Nearly half thestars who died from sub-stance abuse had sufferedchildhood traumas.
“This study raisessome important issuesrelating to protecting bothstars’ and would-be stars’acute and long-term well-being in an industry thathas turned recruitment ofthe next generation ofcelebrities into a globalbusiness," said the report.
AFP
EntertainmentFRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
19LOVE IN THE JUNGLE
Nagarjuna's filmwraps up Bangkokschedule
Nagarjuna andNayanthara's upcom-
ing film has wrapped amajor schedule in Bangkok.This untitled film was shotfor nearly 20 days in vari-ous locales in Bangkok.Meera Chopra is playing aspecial role. The film willrelease in early 2013.
Chammak Challo torelease soon
Varun Sandesh, SanchitaPadukone and Catherine Tresa
starrer Chammak Challo is gear-ing up for its release soon. Thefilm was recently censored and itgot a U/A certificate. Neelakantahas directed the film and this ishis first romantic entertainer.Kiran Varanasi has composed themusic. The film is expected to hitthe screens in January.
Brindavanam to beremade in Kannada
NTR, Kajal and Samantha star-rer Brindavanam, which had
released in 2010, will soon beremade in Kannada. Darshan isgoing to play the lead role in thefilm's Kannada version and it's setto go on floors in early 2013. TheTelugu version was one of thebiggest hits in NTR's career and itwas directed by Vamshi Paidipally.
CINE BYTES
HEMANTH [email protected]
Gajaraju starringVikram Prabhu,Lakshmi Menon is abeautiful love story
about a mahut and a tribal girland it's set against the backdropof an imminent danger from awild elephant which has beenwrecking havoc in the forest.Directed by Prabhu Solomon,the film keeps you hooked on tothe proceedings to a largeextent. The biggest strength liesin its screenplay and breathtak-ing cinematography, along withsome good performances fromits lead cast.
Bopanna (Vikram Prabhu) isa mahut who travels from townto town along with his elephantnamed Manickyam, Konangi(Thambi Ramaiah) and theirassistant named Hundi.
Bopanna treats Manickyam likehis brother and their specialbond is a delight to watch onscreen. One day, when Bopannasees that his friend is in trouble,he promises to go to Devangirialong with his elephant toguard the village from a wildelephant named Kapali. Here,he meets Sanghi (LakshmiMenon), the daughter of the vil-lage's headman and instantlyfalls in love with her. The prob-lem is that Manickyam is nottrained to ward off wild ele-phants and Bopanna doesn'theed to Konangi's multiplerequests to leave the placebefore they get into trouble.Soon, Bopanna realises that it'llbe a tough task for him to con-vince Sanghi's father as the lat-ter puts the honour of his fami-ly and the traditions of his vil-lage before everything else. Therest of the story is about
Bopanna’s relentless pursuit towin Sanghi's heart and gearingup to fight against Kapali.
Vikram Prabhu delivers agood performance as the mahutwho is head over heels for atribal girl. It's his debut film,but at no point of time does hecome across as a reluctant actor.Some of the best scenes in thefilm involve Bopanna trying toteach his elephant Manickyamabout how to attack and eachtime, his uncle Konangibecomes a scapegoat. ThambiRamaiah, who won a NationalAward for his role in Mynaa,
lightens up the mood with hishilarious antics. LakshmiMenon, on the other hand, is arevelation and she's the person-ification of innocence in thisfilm.
While it's difficult to pin-point where the film veers offits track for most part of its run-time, the climax is a big let-down. It lacks the grandeur andintensity which we arepromised and CGI could havebeen much better. The film'smusic composed by Imman isgood and it's stunning cine-matography by Sukumar makesGajaraju a visual delight.Prabhu Solomon, who had ear-lier made Mynaa (dubbed asPrema Khaidi in Telugu), takesus deep into the forest onceagain and preserves the inno-cence in the hearts of his leadcharacters. Thumbs up forGajaraju. Go watch it.
A soulful love storyGajaraju is a soulful love story which narrates the tale
of a mahut who goes way too far and ends up putting the lives of hiselephant and others who depend on him in danger.
Movie: GajarajuCast: Vikram Prabhu, LakshmiMenon, Thambi RamaiahDirected: Prabhu SolomonRating:
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fashionFRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
HAUTE COUTRE STATUSFASHION HOUSES Maison Martin Margiela and Alexis Mabille have been awarded haute couture appellation by theChambre Syndicale, French fashion's governing body, reports WWD.The change in status means that although both
brands already show couture creations, they are now can now officially call themselves couture houses.
Gifts for her
A SEASONJoy could mean different things to different people. Here is a small
1. Perfume: An eau de parfum is a classic giftingitem that reflects a lot on the giver’s taste. The PaulSmith Rose is a beautiful floral scent which will makeany girl feel special.
AVAILABLE AT: WWW.JABONG.COM `3,399
2. Saffron facial cleanser: This works as a greatgift for all special ladies in your life – from grand-mother to daughter. The Forest Essentials Kashmirisaffron and neem delicate facial cleanser will leaveher skin pure and radiant, any time of the year.
AVAILABLE AT: WWW.FABULLOSO.COM `775
3. High heels: Secretly all girls want to own a pair offabulous heels and the ones on ASOS.com are perfectfor the party season.This pair is unusual with a touchof feather trim on the front and suede make. Namedthe Hurricane heeled sandals, these will cause lookbacks in any room.
AVAILABLE AT WWW.ASOS.COM `4,300
4. Blue jeans: Blue jeans are a staple in a wardrobeyet we are always on a lookout for a fresh new pair.New online brand bhane.com offers basics altered tofit the forward thinking customer’s needs. Pick fromgreat quality fitted jeans for her to wear all yearround.
AVAILABLE AT: WWW.BHANE.COM `1,800
5. Gold member: Its tricky to wear metallic tones infashion without fear of looking like a Christmas treeornament. This Calvin Klein handbag is an exceptionwith deep metallic tone and versatility to wear forday or night look.
AVAILABLE AT: CALVIN KLEIN
6. Cocktail dress: Show your special woman youunderstand latest trends and gift a cocktail dress inprint or pattern that will make her stand out andfashionable at the party. This FCUK dress is a flatter-ing fit and festive season appropriate with gold andblue pattern.
AVAILABLE AT FCUK
7. Luxurious lingerie: Gifting your girlfriend or wifelingerie designed by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is ina way saying they are as beautiful as the Transformersactress and model. The Rosie for AutographCollection comprises of pieces that include luxurioussilk lingerie sets, cami and French knicker sets, ateddy and a kimono style robe.
AVAILABLE AT: MARKS AND SPENCER
8. Red jumper: A cozy sweater is an essential forthis winter season. A bright tone like cobalt, orangeor red is on trend and Christmas season appropriate.What’s great about a good wool jumper is that thesizes usually fit different shapes easily.
AVAILABLE AT UNITED COLORS OF BENETTON
9. Tarun Tahiliani: Women have the gift to recog-nise designer wear especially when it comes to cou-ture items. Tarun Tahiliani has a great selection ofsaris, lehngas, suits, kaftans, gowns for her to trea-sure. A gift from his Hyderabad store in Banjara Hillswill be a guaranteed hit.
AVAILABLE AT TARUN TAHILIANI
10. Sunglasses: Versace relaunched their medusaemblem and the sunglasses collection is a great giftfor your fashion forward lady. They come in a varietyof colours and been seen on pop stars like LadyGaga, Rihanna and Rita Ora already. The medusa col-lection is a hot retro style made famous by GianniVersace drawing inspiration from the famous tale ofGreek Mythology. AVAILABLE AT LEADING OPTICAL SHOPS
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20&21HIRST PACKS FOR THE ROWARTWORKS BY agent provocateur Damien Hirst are routinely accompanied by a price tag of several milliondollars. But the British artist has lopped off quite a few extra zeroes for his latest project, a design collabora-tion with CFDA 2012 winners of fashion label The Row — founded by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen,
Gifts for him
TO GIVE list of fashionable items that should bring joy to the stylish person you love.
The writer is a fashion blogger
(www.lovestruckcow.blogspot.com) who attempts to bridge the gapbetween creator and consumer. Asa fashion writer, she hopes to pro-
mote Indian fashion amongIndians and on a global level too.
1. Perfume: A great perfume can speak louder thanany expensive branded fashion item. The Gucci SportEau de parfum is a cool and fresh scent with flavoursconsisting of juniper berry, vetiver, grapefruit,ambrette, cypress, cardamom, fig, mandarin, andpatchouli
AVAILABLE AT WWW.JABONG.COM `3,499
2. Shoe bags: Shop for Things offers some greatgifting ideas for him like the shoes and sneakers bagfor him to keep his footwear clean and tidy in. Theseindividual bags allow him to carry footwear easily in asuitcase while travelling for work or vacation.
AVAILABLE AT WWW.SHOPFORTHINGS.IN `100
3. Herbal beauty: Give a gift of natural beauty tohim in the form of methi shikakai shampoo. Enrichedwith wheat germ oil, lecithin, and neem and methiseeds – this specially formulated shampoo penetratesthe hair shaft, strengthens the roots, nourishes thescalp and brings out the bounce and volume in yourhair without stripping off its natural oils.
AVAILABLE AT: JUST HERBS HTTP://WWW.FABULLOSO.COM `225
4. Boots: Men usually fall short on winter footwearand a sturdy pair of boots is the perfect solution forthat. This season gift him a neat black pair which isversatile enough to wear with wool trousers or denimjeans. These suave pair should last many years till hewears them off.
AVAILABLE AT: WWW.ASOS.COM `6,000/-
5. Burberry Gold Pheasant Umbrella: For the dar-ing and fashion forward men, the Burberry goldpheasant umbrella is like the classic umbrella neverseen before. With a rich gold ornate detailing andlarge black shade, this is a wardrobe classic and yetwill make him stand out.
AVAILABLE AT WWW.BURBERRY.COM
6. Toga coat: This plaid toga coat is not like yourgrandfather’s. Though it would look amazing on yourgrandfather or younger brother alike! In harsh win-ters when he is bundled in a warm jacket like this hewill have only one person to thank.
AVAILABLE AT CALVIN KLEIN JEANS
7. Chivas Regal Limited edition pack by RohitBal: Chivas Regal, one of the leading super-premiumblended Scotch whiskies in the world collaboratedwith India’s leading couturier Rohit Bal for a limitededition design bottle. Imagine his glee seeing thisunder the tree. No packaging required.
AVAILABLE AT: ALL PREMIUM OUTLETS IN INDIA
8. Lumberjack shirt: No, his occupation is not tochopping woods. Yet a winter staple for men is thelumberjack shirt that gives a rugged casual look.Something he can easily pair with already owneddenims or trousers.
AVAILABLE AT FCUK
9. New launch Lacoste live collaboration withMicah Lidberg: Lacoste launched a great collectionin collaboration with famed American illustratorMicah Lidberg to create an exclusive capsule line forFall Winter 2012-13. Micah has featured his signatureillustrations on men’s polos and shirts, which makesthem a perfect gifting item for Christmas.
AVAILABLE AT LACOSTE
10. Play Clan: Indian label play clan has been intro-ducing funky t-shirts which men will love to dress in.The Jodhpur collection brings colours, tradition, popculture all together in collections of T-shirts, mugsand coasters. AVAILABLE AT WWW.THEPLAYCLAN.COM
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Entertainment FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012 22
Entertainment FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012 23
Chai TimeFRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
24
ACROSS1 Horseracing’s smallest
winning margin?5 Barrel strip10 Nozzle streams14 See at a distance15 Not as tan16 Norse god of war17 Ship’s direction18 In solitary
confinement19 Taro root20 Volatile situation22 Basketmaking
material23 Gaggle formation24 Most unworldly26 Mud-baked brick30 Involuntary move32 Beach-club building34 Gloomy fellow?35 One of the Three
Bears39 Flower or part of the
eye40 Writing points42 ‘06 class member, e.g.43 Kind of calendar44 Domino’s spot45 Set up a bivouac47 Turns inside out50 Creole veggies51 Frequent restaurant
freebie
54 ‘___ not makingmyself clear?’
56 Use a pattern57 Convenient oil
holder63 Civil rights pioneer
Parks64 Basketball infractions65 Of the finest quality66 ‘Daniel Boone’ actor
Ed67 Fails to include68 Followers of the Pied
Piper of Hamelin69 Ending for ‘glass’ or
‘metal’70 Harold Robbins
novel (with ‘The’)71 Leave a building
DOWN1 Twice-monthly ocean-
ic event2 Capital of Norway3 Belch forth4 Black-___ Susan5 Tire in the trunk6 Person who yaks7 Balm for your skin8 Vindictive9 Poet’s palindromic
‘before’10 Average guy, to some
politicians
11 Murphy of ‘48Hours’
12 Ebb and 1-Down13 Bullish comment21 All square22 It’s all in your mine25 Borden beast26 Battery or folic27 ‘Truth or ___’28 Asian sashes29 Hopeless one31 Land with pyramids33 Upscale ski resort36 Wing-shaped37 Large feline38 Sound boosters41 Yawn-inducing46 ‘Chinatown’ film
genre48 Join the competition49 Rapids in some
rivers51 Scarecrow stuffer52 Smell from a bakery53 Modern surgical tool55 Young girl58 Withdraw59 Button on a butcher’s
scale60 Sweet-talk61 Prefix meaning
‘against’62 Home for hatchlings64 ___ off (foist)
KAKURO QUICK CROSSWORD
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
How to playkakuroKakuro is a populargame similar to sudokuin some ways. But is alsosuitably different. Thekey question: ‘How doyou play kakuro?’, wellhere are the rules ofkakuro. The answer: Thekakuro grid, unlike insudoku, can be of anysize. It has rows andcolumns, and dark cellslike in a crossword. And,just like in a crossword,some of the dark cellswill contain numbers.Some cells will containtwo numbers.
However, in a cross-word the numbers refer-ence clues. In a kakuro,the numbers are all youget! They denote thetotal of the digits in therow or column refer-
enced by the number.Within each collection
of cells — called a run— any of the numbers 1to 9 may be used but,like sudoku, each num-ber may only be usedonce.Let’s have anexample to explain thisconcept more clearly:
In the imageabove, which shows asection of a kakuro puz-zle, you will see thenumbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ inthe top row. Look at the14. This means that thetotal of the three cellsunderneath must sum to14. Therefore 9, 4, 1could be the answer, orperhaps 7, 4, 3 and so
on... So, how do you work
out the actual combina-tion? Well, this is donethrough elimination andcross-referencing. Forinstance, as you workout the answers forother kakuro clues, thiswill naturally limit thevalid combinations, andhence the answer forthis particular run.
Note the second cellin row two — it containstwo numbers, 30 and11. The 30 refers to thevertical run underneaththe number 30 and the11 refers to the two cellsto the right, horizontally,of the number 11.
Play & Winvoucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally
Play & Winvoucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally
SUDOKU
Play & Winvoucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally
Please send in your filled-in entries toPostnoon, #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62,
Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033. The winners will beannounced on this page in Sunday’s edition.
SCRIBBLING PAD
Play & Win
TAROT READ
Chai Time FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012 25
STAR POWER
STRIP TEASE
Vol: 2, No 155 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211
Thiruvaikumar
Sumaa Tekur
thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in, 040-27177230 / 9177596118
tarotreadhyd@gmail. com
for 22-12-2012 As per Hindu panchang
for 22-12-2012
ARIESYou will struggle as hard aspossible and succeed. Friendswill extend help and support atthe right time. Sudden trips willbe beneficial and make you ch -e erful. Avoid anger and fear. Fi -nancial flow will improve. Marr -i age talks will be favourable.
ARIES: Queen of Cups –You think with your heart and arejumping in to thoughts and beliefsmerely by how they make you feel.This approach may not always work.
GEMINI: Knight of Wands– Your inquisitive nature is what’s ta -k ing you places. You keep your eyesand ears open and this observationskill is keeping you in good stead.
LEO: Nine of Swords –Some disappointment is indicated.You may be feeling let down bysomeone you trusted very deeply.Get over it and move on.
LIBRA: Nine of Pentacles –You’ve created a comfort zone whichyou don’t want to get out of. Thereare times when you don’t even wantto know what’s happening around.
TAURUS: The Devil – Don’tyield to temptation, especially if it’sgoing to upset a marital issue.Things are not going so smooth onthe marriage front. Be patient.
CANCER: Knight ofPentacles – You’re feeling adventur-ous and in the mood to charge aheadwith your ideas. What’s more, they allseem to work well, too.
VIRGO: Seven of Swords –You might need to use crook ed mea -ns to get some work done becauseit’s not getting done otherwise. Betrue to yourself, whatever you do.
SCORPIO: Strength – Youhave it in you to prove your inno-cence. Someone has accused you ofbeing something you’re not. It’s yourtime in the sun to prove otherwise.
CAPRICORN: Justice – Ahike or a promotion is in the offing.Your bosses recognize your goodwork and make an offer. It sets youthinking about your future course.
SAGITTARIUS: Knight ofSw ords – Though the environment allthat positive, you charge ahead withoptimism and this positive energyspreads to everyone around you.
AQUARIUS: Eight of Cups– You have everything when it comesto material comforts, yet there’ssomething missing. You wish you hadsomeone to share all this with.
PISCES: The High Priest -ess – Approach issues in an intuitiveway and you won’t have to worrywhether you’re doing the rightthing. Your inner voice guides you.
TAURUSAll undertaken work will endsuccessfully. VIPs will help withwholehearted support. Sharein ancestral property will comewithout much difficulty. Thoseseeking a job will get favour -able news. Newlyweds will beblessed with an offspring.
GEMINIYour list of adventures will keepgrowing. You will get closer topersons of high esteem andVIPs. Money will come from allexpected sources. Help andsupport likely from spouse's rel-atives. Elder brother too willextend his support to you.
CANCERYour approach will help get allwork done without hurdles. Apeaceful atmosphere will pre-vail at home. Powerful officialswill extend help. Your influenceis set to rise. You march aheadunmindful of hurdles. Courtcase will take favourable turn.
LEONew efforts will be successful.Those awaiting visa will getfavourable news. Renovationand expansion of house likely.Applied loan will get a greensignal. Be cautious whileexpressing opinions. Cautiouslydeal with court cases.
VIRGOFinancial situation will improve.Some have a bright chance togo on a pilgrimage. You mightbe busy in making necessaryarrangements for son's higherstudies. Expenses might upsetyou. Friends staying abroad willextend their help.
LIBRAEven challenging tasks will bedealt by you wisely and suc-cessfully. Held-up house con-struction will resume and getcompleted. Govt officials willextend help. Court verdicts willend in your favour. Portion ofthe debt will be cleared.
SCORPIOYou will march ahead by apply-ing your experienced abilities.You might be forced to sell oldproperty. Elder brother willextend support. Avoid fightingfor ancestral property. Do notbe worried about higher stud-ies of your children.
SAGITTARIUSAdministrative abilities willincrease. Financially, a soundposition is seen. Those awaitinga job call will get a favourableone. Govt sops will come. Bankloan and paternal property sh -are likely. Innovative and freshapproach success is yours.
CAPRICORNAnger will spoil your reputa-tion and earn enemies. Avoidit as much as possible. Nervean d skin problems likely; takeim mediate treatment. Avoidwaste ful expenditure as inco -me will be just about enough.Self-confidence set to increase.
AQUARIUSYou will look cheerful. Ances -tral property will come thro -ugh. Good news on the cardsthrough spouse. Your socialstatus is set to improve. Somehave a bright chance to buy anew vehicle. Renovation ofhouse will materialise.
PISCESYou will become emotionaloften and talk under that influ-ence. Try to control this. Youmight be reprimanded by fam-ily members because of yourangry. Marriage efforts will besuccessful. Indirect oppositionlikely. Businessmen do well.
AGNES
NON SEQUITUR
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
POOCH CAFE
BoggleLOYAL LOCAL LABEL LEGAL LAWFUL
SUDU
KO
NUM
BER
GAM
ESC
RABB
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PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS
EntertainmentFRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
26Dabangg 2 and thenational emblemThough the Central Board of
Film Certification (CBFC) washappy with Dabangg 2’s content,some members thought that thenational emblem framed on thewall of Chulbul Pandey's policestation was being depicted incor-rectly and therefore decided blur-ring the screen wherever appearswould be the solution. IANS
Muqabla song to beused in ABCD
Prabhudheva's hit songMuqabla will be used
to promote Remo D'Souza'sdirectorial venture Anybody
Can Dance. "It is an iconicsong and Prabhudheva's
dancing in the song made ita rage. We have got the
rights of the song and we areusing it” Remo said. IANS
Shah Rukh Khan will paytribute to legendary
filmmaker Yash Choprathrough a performance at the
13th Zee Cine Awards inMumbai. "I will pay tribute to
Yashji by dancing with theleading ladies of his films.
However, we are still in thestages of finalising things,"
Shah Rukh said. IANS
SRK to pay tribute to Yash Chopra
CINE BYTES
GROWING UP A STAR KID
Being AnilKapoor’sdaughter isa privilege...
Being a star kid has its positives,but the pressure to perform
that comes with it can be chal-lenging, says Sonam Kapoor,
daughter of actor Anil Kapoor.However, no matter how challenging the
situation is, the actress admits she isproud to be his daughter and says she haslearnt a lot from him. "It is much easier in
the industry for a star kid, but everyonehas their own struggle. It is easier to join
(the industry) and people look at you dif-ferently, but then they also come with
their own baggage of comparisons,"Sonam said."I think it is a privilege to be
Anil Kapoor's daughter because he issuch a good artist and it is great to beassociated with him in any way," sheadded. After making her debut with
Saawariya, the actress has essayed inte-gral parts in movies like Delhi-6, "Aisha",
Players and Mausam. Sonam says shewould love to be a part of a remake of
any of her father's past films, providedshe gets to play the role her dad essayed."I like a lot of his films... as long as I get
to play the hero! I love Lamhe and Mr. India, I don't mind playing Sridevi'scharacter there... I love Tezaab and Ram
Lakhan. If I get to do any remakes offilms from the 1980s an 1990s, where it
was more male-dominated, I wouldrather be the hero," she said. IANS
Entertainment FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012 27NH7
Perry cheers ex-hubbyRussell Brand Katy Perry has reportedly
written an email to ex-husband Russell Brand co -ngratulating him for stay-ing clean. Brand, 37, was adrug and sex addict andhas had many legal issues.He recently celebrated hisdrug-free dec ade andwrote on Twitter: “Tenyears clean... thanks for allyour messages of love...anyone can get clean, oneday at a time.” IANS
Ben Affleck talks JusticeLeague
An overzealous report emergedput Ben Affleck in the driver’s
seat of the planned Warner Bros.team-up film Justice League. Thereport was soon shot down andforgotten about, but in a recentinterview about his work on Argo,Affleck said he hated talkingabout it in the media at allbecause the eventual stories sheda negative light on the project.
Dannii says no to Simon
Singer Dannii Minogue hasrejected Simon Cowell’s offer
to judge Britain’s singingcompetitionThe X Factor againand instead has signed a rivalchannel. Minogue, 41, was on TheX Factor judging panel from 2007to 2010. Now she has signed tojudge a show for Sky Living chan-nel. Titled Britain and Ireland’sNext Top Model, it will see herhunting for top models alongwith host Elle Macpherson andmodel Tyson Beckford.
CINE BYTES
More about the jazzELIZABETH [email protected]
It seems like NigelRajaratnam likes to domany things. While packingup his instruments after his
NH7 gig in Bangalore, hereveals that he plays a fewinstruments — flute, melodica,piano, saxophone and the gui-tar. As for music projects,Rajaratnam is busy with his soloexperiment, SkyDrops, but alsolends his talent to outfits such asDischordian, Fahrenheit, Depthand Pradakshinam. He has alsoperformed with the ‘comedy-rock band’ Alien Chutney at theDelhi NH7 festival and was on
the keys for Karsh Kale on CokeStudio.
While confessing he likesJazz more than Electronica, heexplains that SkyDrops is a com-bination of these two genres. “Itry to put in a lot of ambientmusic,” he adds, furtherexplaining, “Ambient music iswhere you create space, fill thefrequencies. This means lot ofechos, reverbs and interestingsounds.” He says he samplessounds and then uses them indifferent ways so one doesn’trecognise them. These can besounds of whirring fans, stompsof footsteps, fleeting trains andjust about anything.
When growing up in
Mumbai, it really didn’tseem like he’d have anythingto do with music. I don’tthink I ever liked listening toit even, till I was in classfive,” he recalls. “Nobody inmy family has ever doneanything in music.” He wasaround ten when he startedplaying an instrument andgot interested in how it allworks and why it sounds theway it does. So his ability toplay multiple instrumentswas a result of his owndesires and not family pres-sure. “I just started borrow-ing instruments and it wasn’ttill much later that I hadmoney to even buy one,” he
says. In 2008, he won a schol-arship to study Jazz, musicalproduction and performancein Northeastern University,Boston.
A fan of Radiohead, hetakes time out to listen toFlying Lotus, Aphex Twin,Pat Methney, Chick Coreaand Jazz pianist Bill Evans,he says.
At the festival, his setcomprised of Epileptix, a selfcomposed track, Hide andSeek by Imogen Heap and apersonal jazz and electronicatake on the Christian classic,Mosh Devious, AmazingGrace, that he performedwith Ishan.
SkyDrops on Soundcloud:https://soundcloud.com/nigelrajaratnam
We caught up with the generously smiling, Nigel Rajaratnam, singer, songwriterand multi-instrumentalist as he talks about his solo project, SkyDrops and more...
ELIZABETH SOUMYA
sports 28ENGLAND IN INDIA
INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE FRANCHISE
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
MUMBAI: Off to a good start inTwenty20s after the “shattering”Test debacle, India batsmanYuvraj Sigh (right) said he wasconfident that the team wouldcarry the momentum not onlyinto the second and final tieagainst England here tomorrowbut also into the upcoming seriesagainst arch-foes Pakistan.
“In Twenty20s and ODIs, wehave done well against themHopefully, we can carry themomentum, particularly with theimportant series against Pakistancoming up,” said Yuvraj.
The all-rounder played a key
role, taking 3 for 19 to halfEngland’s progress in battingand then smashed 38 in 21 ballswith three sixes and two fours tohelp India overhaul the visitors’score of 157 for 6 with five wick-ets to spare.
India will take on Pakistan ina two-match T20 series com-mencing at Bangalore onDecember 25. The second gameof that series is scheduled atAhmedabad on December 28.
This would be followed by athree-match ODI series againstthe neighbours from December30 this year to January 6, 2013
after which India would engageEngland in a best-of-five ODIseries from January 11 to 27.
“Losing 4-0 (in Test series inEngland last year) and 2-1(recently in the four-match Testseries at home) was quite shatter-ing. England played better crick-et but we beat them 5-0 in theone-dayers (last year),” saidYuvraj who was part of the Testsquad that got beaten byEngland.
Yuvraj said the younger lot ofplayers improved the fielding ofthe team.
PTI
HYDERABAD: The HyderabadIPL franchise which was recentlynamed the Sunrisers Hyderabadby its new owners, Sun TVNetwork, named formerAustralian all rounder, TomMoody, as the coach of their teamhere on Thursady while KrisSrikkanth and VVS Laxman astheir mentor and mentor-ambas-sador respectively.
The franchise which was ear-lier called Deccan Chargers,under the ownership of DeccanChronicle, also launched theteam’s logo at the same ceremony.
While Srikkanth, Moody andShanmugam, CEO, Sunrisersattended the occasion, Laxmancould not make his presence feltas he had to attend a familyevent. Moody, who earliercoached Sri Lanka, said he wasglad to be associated with thenew franchise. “It is a challengethat any coach relishes to be apart of a new franchise and asso-ciated with a company which hasso much experience,” said theAustralian.
“It is also a great opportunityto be working with Kris, theplayers and Laxman,” he added.
The management retained 20players from the previous team,which included Kumar Sanga -kkara, Dale Steyn and ShikharDhawan among the others.
Srikkanth express confidence
in the side and said they weresure of doing well in the upcom-ing season. “We are confident ofreaching the semi-finals and
hopefully make it to the finalstoo,” the former Indian playersaid. Talking about the selectionof the remaining players, themanagement expressed theirkeen interest in players likeAmbati Rayudu, who wouldcome into the auctioning windowin case he gets to play among theplaying 11 in the national side,and also the release of StevenSmith from Pune Warriors India.
“Since many players would
be retained by their franchises,our choices may be limited dur-ing this auctioning side,”Srikkanth said. “As on today,[Kumar] Sangakkara is the cap-tain. The final decision will betaken later,” he added.
LIST OF PLAYERS RETAINEDBY SUNRISERSIndian: Abhishek Jhunjunwala,Akash Bhandari, Akshath Reddy,Amit Mishra, Anand Rajan,Ankit Sharma, Bharat Chipli,Biplab Samantray, ShikharDhawan, Veer Pratap Singh,Parthiv Patel, Ashish Reddy, DBRavi Teja, Ishant Sharma. Foreign players: KumarSangakkara (capt), CameronWhite, Dale Steyn, Chris Lynn,Jean-Paul Duminy, Juan Theron.
HYDERABAD TRACK WORK
HYDERABAD: Vijays Triumph,Fastest Finger, Elzzam, Skander,Melody Queen and FortunatePleased caught the eye withimpressive runs when horseswere exercised at the Malakpetracecourse in the City thismorning.
Sand track 800 metresSpecialist (Joshi) 54, 600/41Impressed. Strides Of Glory (SaiKumar) Staying The Best (NRawal) 58.5, 600/42 They fin-ished together. Handsome Hunk(Dileep) Snow Bird (Anil) 55,600/41 They moved together.Dauntless (rb) 1-0, 600/44 Easy.Big Boss (rb) Lurel Canyon(Kuldeep Singh) 1-0.5, 600/44Former finished 3 lengths infront. Ponte Verdi (S Nayak) 1-1.5, 600/45 Easy. Exclusive Lady(Kiran Naidu) 1-1, 600/45 Easy.
Sugar Deal (rb) Any Given Day(M Mark) 58, 600/43 They fin-ished together. Comanche Gold(Sai Kumar) Star Sensation(B.Shinde) 1-3, 600/48 Theymoved freely. Shadow In TheMist (rb) Chetak (rb) 58.5,600/43 Former finished in front.Genius Empress (C Henrique)57, 600/40 Pleased. MelodyQueen (N Rawal) Fortunate (SaiKumar) 55, 600/40 They movedwell and finished together.Green Bay (S Nayak) 58,600/43.5 Unextended. BoldAttack (rb) Smart Striker (rb) 1-2, 600/46.5 Former finished infront. True Friend (M Mark) 57,600/43 Moved well. KohinoorPunch (app) 1-0, 600/45 Easy.Fenway Court (S Nayak) SeaRunner (Kuldeep Singh) 56.5,600/41 Former easily finished 3lengths in front. Desert Bloom
(Joshi) 59, 600/43 Moved freely.Tico Tico (Chary) Roses InBloom (Kiran Niadu) 58, 600/43They finished together.
Sand track 1000 metresArchitect (rb) Blue Diamond (rb)1-18.5, 800/1-2, 600/46 Theymoved freely. Ashwa Shakti(Togrolu) 1-15, 600/1-0, 600/46Easy. Vijays Triumph (Joshi)Aegis (app) 1-11, 800/56,600/42 They finished together.Fastest Finger (Joshi) Play TheMusic (P.Venkat) 1-10, 800/53.5,600/40 Former impressed whilefinishing a length in front.Vijayshaurya (Joshi) 1-16,800/1-1, 600/45 Easy. Spirited(Chary) Ciel Blu (Kiran Naidu) 1-13.5, 800/56.5, 600/41.5 Formerfinished in front. Royal Revive(rb) 1-17, 1000/400 in 43 Easy.Ice Barrier (Anil) Paying Guest
(Dileep) 1-16, 800/1-0, 600/46They moved together.Dandelion (N Rawal) BoldReason (Sai Kumar) 1-15,800/59, 600/43.5 Former fin-ished a length in front. FlyingSpur (Imran Khan) 1-17, 800/1-2, 600/46 Easy. ShemmeringEyes (Dileep) Advisor (DeepShanker) 1-18, 800/1-1, 600/46They moved freely.
Sand track 1200 metresSuper Duper (Togrolu) 1-30,1000/1-15, 800/1-0, 600/45Moved on the bit. Flowers OfMusic (Ramana) 1-35, 1000/1-20, 800/1-5, 600/49 Easy. SoSuper (Kiran Naidu) 1-25,1000/1-11.5, 800/58, 600/44Pleased.
Monsoon race inner grass1200 metresElzaam (Harinder Singh)
Skander (Deep Shanker) 1-20,1000/1-5.5, 800/52, 600/38They finished together.
Gate practice 1200 metresCristiano (Imran Khan) 1-15,800/1-0, 600/47.5 Jumped outwell and moved very easy. GreatGuns (rb) Aware (M Mark) 1-7.5,800/51, 600/38 They took alevel jump and finished togeth-er Meri Merzi (Ali Khan)Alankrita (Chary) 1-16.5, 800/1-0, 600/46 They jumpedout well and moved freely. True Haven (app) Scubarioo(Kuldeep Singh) Goldie (SNayak) 1-20, 1000/51, 600/38.5They jumped out well. ZeroTolerance (Nitin Singh) 1-5.5,800/50, 600/37 Jumped outwell. Merry Maid (Nitin Singh)1-6, 800/52, 600/41 Jumped out well.
Viays Triumph, Fastest Finger in fine fettle
NBAT-wolves snap
Thunder’s 12-game streak
MINNEAPOLIS: KevinLove scored 28 points andgrabbed 11 rebounds to leadMinnesota over OklahomaCity 99-93 on Thursday,snapping the Thunder’steam-record 12-game NBAwin streak.
Montenegrin NikolaPekovic added 24 points and10 rebounds for the Timber -wolves, who seized a 30-18lead after the first quarterand held off the Thunderdown the stretch for the win.
‘We hope to carry momentum forward’Yuvraj promises good display against visiting Pakistan after India’s win over England.
G APARNA SAI
A new sun rises over Hyderabad
Australian all-rounder Tom Moody,who will coach the team, speaks atthe event. S BALAKRISHNA
The franchise, earliercalled DeccanChargers, under theownership of DeccanChronicle, alsolaunched the logo.
sports 29PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012
TOM WILLIAMSAgence France-Presse
LONDON: Manchester City’s bid to reel inPremier League leaders Manchester Unitedhas been jeopardised by injuries to keyplayers as they prepare to open theirChristmas campaign at home to Readingon Saturday.
Six points off the pace after their 3-2loss in the Manchester derby on December9, the champions could be missing captainVincent Kompany (right) and midfielderSamir Nasri for the Royals’ visit to theEtihad Stadium.
Kompany limped out of the derby witha groin injury, forcing him to miss lastweekend’s 3-1 win at Newcastle United,and he is a major doubt for Saturday’sgame.
Nasri picked up a similar injury in thegame at St James’ Park and looks set to beout for two weeks, potentially ruling himout of City’s entire festive programme.
To compound matters for coachRoberto Mancini, central midfielder JackRodwell has revealed that he will probablybe out of action until the beginning of 2013due to a hamstring injury that he sustainedin October.
“I’ve just had a little bit of a setbackwith my hamstring injury,” Rodwell toldthe club website.
“It will probably be another few weeks,so I’m looking into the new year.”
Injuries aside, Mancini will expect hisside to take all three points at home to aReading team who sank to the foot of thetable last weekend and were thrashed 5-2at home by Arsenal on Monday.
The festive season is a pivotal period inthe Premier League, with teams facing fourgames in the space of only 12 days.
Arsenal kick off the weekend pro-gramme at home to third-bottom WiganAthletic on Saturday, when victory wouldprovisionally propel them up to thirdplace.
BUENOS AIRES: An Argen -tine football official says DiegoMaradona (left) is a leadingcandidate to take over as coachof Iraq’s national team.
Hernan Tofoni was quotedby Argentina’s state-run newsagen cy Telam as saying the lead-ership of the Iraq football associ-ation was to meet today andcomplete an offer to Mara dona.Tofoni told Telam that Iraq had
wanted to hire an Argentinecoach and Mara dona’s namesurfaced as a candidate.
Tofoni is the general manag-er of World Eleven, whichorganises international friendlymatches for Argentina’s nation-al team. He confirmed onTwitter that the Iraqi federationwas dealing with World Elevenover the possibility of signingMaradona. PTI
NYON, SWITZERLAND:Barce lona versus AC Milanand Manchester United againstReal Madrid were the pick ofthe ties in the ChampionsLeague last 16 draw onThursday, as the knock-outphase of this year’s competi-tion took shape.
REACTIONS TO THE DRAWGalatasaray Vs Schalke 04
“In the ChampionsLeague’s last 16, there is noeasy opponent. But obviously,I see chances for us to reach thequarter-final if we put in agood performance.”
– Jens Keller (Schalkecoach)
Celtic Vs Juventus“In terms of glamour it is
great. In terms of qualificationit is going to be very tough. Butwe will take it as it comes andour supporters will be lookingforward to this match.
– Neil Lennon (Celticcoach) to Sky Sports News
“Celtic are the only team tohave beaten Barca this season.We’ve definitely got a goodchance of get thing through butwe’re going to have to showtotal concentration, especiallyin Glasgow, where we’re
expecting a very heated atmo-sphere.”
– Pavel Nedved (Juventusdirector)
Arsenal Vs Bayern Munich“They played in the final in
2010 and last year. It is a bigclub, but we have the chance towin against Bayern Munich.They have (Mario) Gomez upfront, they have (Franck)Ribery, (Bastian) Schwein -steiger, Philipp Lahm, ManuelNeuer. But there are twomatches, one at home (and) oneaway, so both teams have thechance to win.”
AFP
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW
BARCELONA: Barcelona coachTito Vilanova Thursday (right)vowed a swift return from cancersurgery that may sideline him forsix weeks in a shock for theSpanish league leaders.
“I will be away for a whilebut I will be back soon,”Barcelona sports newspaperMundo Deportivo quotedVilanova as telling his playersthe night before he went in forsurgery to his salivary gland. AFP
NATIONAL FOOTBALL COACH FIGHTING CANCER
IAN WINROWAgence France-Presse
LONDON: Arsene Wenger hasrejected claims the Arsenal boardhave failed to back him in thetransfer market and indicated heis only interested in signing‘exceptional’ players in January.
Alisher Usmanov, the club’ssecond-largest shareholder,claimed Wenger, whose sidetravel to Wigan this weekend,should have been given morefinances for new signings afterRobin van Persie became the lat-est high-profile player to leavethe north London club in the lasttransfer window.
Yet after recovering from thehumiliating League Cup quarter-final defeat to League Two min-nows Bradford by beatingReading 5-2 this week, Wengerreiterated his belief thatArsenal’s current crop of playersare good enough to have a suc-cessful season.
City launch Utd pursuit City can close to within three points of top spot if they beat Reading, with Unitednot in action until their lunchtime trip to Swansea City on Sunday.
Maradona top Iraq candidate Maradona was fired in July this year as the coach of Dubai club Al Wasl.
Defiant Arsenebacks Arsenalto improve
Barca coach vows quickreturn from surgery
Dates for matches in the last sixteenFebruary 12Celtic (SCO) Vs Juventus (ITA)Valencia (ESP) Vs Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)February 13Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) VsBorussia Dortmund (GER)Real Madrid (ESP) VsManchester United (ENG)February 19FC Porto (POR) Vs Malaga (ESP)Arsenal (ENG) Vs Bayern Munich(GER)February 20Galatasaray (TUR) Vs Schalke 04
(GER) AC Milan (ITA) VsBarcelona (ESP)March 5Manchester United Vs RealMadrid Borussia Dortmund VsShakhtar DonetskMarch 6Paris Saint-Germain Vs ValenciaJuventus Vs CelticMarch 12Schalke 04 Vs GalatasarayBarcelona Vs AC MilanMarch 13Malaga Vs FC PortoBayern Munich Vs Arsenal
Prestigious games line up to treat spectators
